The Long Goodbye
by 1Pagan3
Summary: AU. Teen!Chester. John goes off on a hunt but doesn't return. Fifteen year old Dean does what he has to in order to do the best for Sammy.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Ok, so this is a story brought about by Sammygirl1963... she has one similar so we decided to write it and post it at the same time. Although I'd like to continue with it, I wrote it to be a one shot if no one's interested, so let me know either way, ok? cool...

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kripke's creations, I just borrow them sometimes... I'll be sure to put them back when I'm done.

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Three fifteen and still no phone call. It wasn't like he rushed home and sat next to the damn phone since he raced through the door; nope Dean Winchester was too cool for that. No, instead he had managed a rather suave rush through his normal throng of admirers before making the decision that he needed to do his evening run a couple hours early – yeah, that was his story… he was sticking to it.

Sammy would be home by three forty five if the past week was anything to go by, which was fine by Dean since that gave him some wiggle room in what he could or couldn't get away with when his little brother asked yet again, 'did Dad call?' Sure, this wasn't the first time their dad had forgotten to check in, or was late, or just decided not to pick up the damn phone, but it was the first time he went on a hunt with a guy that barely anyone knew. It was the first time that their dad hadn't checked in once since walking out the door two and a half weeks ago with a casual, "This shouldn't take longer than a couple of weeks. Take care of each other, stay under the radar." That was it, and now both he and Sammy were climbing the freaking walls trying to figure out if they should go ahead and risk their dad's disappointment in calling Pastor Jim or Bobby, or try to wait it out a bit longer.

Another look at the clock showed him that he'd actually lost track of twenty minutes, giving him something else to be sore over. He was just about to grab a glass out of the nearly bare motel cabinet when a new sound in the parking lot caught his attention. Looking again at the clock before looking out the cracked window, Dean stood in shock before heading towards the door. Ignoring the protocol of passwords and possession tests, he flung open the door to face the haggard looking man standing in front of him.

"Dean." Bobby said sadly as he looked at the teenager that had already been burdened with too much in his too short life. "Dean, we need to talk."

"What's going on? You need Dad's help? He went with… uh… damn, what was his name…"

"Gerald Tibbons, yeah… I know. Look kid, we really need to go inside for this. Where's Sammy?"

The question stopped Dean's brain for a moment until he realized what this had to mean. Any other time their dad had gotten hurt, whoever was sent for them always got straight to the point with a curt, 'Get your stuff,' no… this was different – way different. "Bobby, no…"

"I'm so sorry Dean… Caleb and Josh found them but there wasn't anything they could do, it was too late and…"

"Noooooo!"

Seeing the shocked look on Bobby's face, Dean was surprised to find out that the scream hadn't come from him but from… "Sammy!" he yelled as he watched his little brother race away from them as if the hounds of hell were on his heels.

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Dean looked out the kitchen window towards the Impala in the driveway. Two days ago Bobby had taken the time to pack up what little they owned while he chased after his little brother and held the kid while he cried his heart out. Now though the kid had everyone worried. In the last two days Sammy had gone from quiet to completely subdued, barely eating to not even grabbing an occasional snack, and now the real deal breaker – he hadn't come out of the Impala since last night, going as far as sleeping in the cold car rather than being close to anyone else. It had taken a lot of coaxing, but he'd managed to be allowed inside the car for the night as long as he didn't try to talk the kid into leaving the small space.

"Any change kid?" Caleb asked as he joined Dean at the window. Seeing the negative answer in the younger man, he nodded and sighed. "You know that this is just his way of dealing with things, right? It has nothing to do with you."

Snorting a bit at the thought Dean looked at the hunter and grinned, "Dude, you trying out for your own talk show or something? I know it's not about me; it's about Sammy and Dad. Something happened and now the kid won't talk to me. I just know if he'd tell me what the hell went on while I was at the damn store I could figure out a way to make it better."

Puzzled, Caleb looked at Dean and waited for him to continue, when the kid remained silent, he decided to let it go for now. "Jim asked me to talk to you. You know that he's been holding off the wolves as much as he can, but as soon as the funeral takes place…"

Caleb didn't have to finish that statement, Dean already knew. The past few days had been filled with raised voices, covert phone calls and visits from attorneys both with CPS as well as those retained by Jim's congregation to make sure that neither he nor Sammy were shipped off to different homes. That was something that scared the hell out of him, being separated from his little brother. He didn't have any delusions that a family willing to take in Sammy would want his almost sixteen year old brother tagging along too, which would mean that he wouldn't be able to protect him, which meant anything could happen.

"Look Dean, we all were thinking, trying to come up with a solution you know and…"

"…and as much as all of you would love to take us in, there's no way legally any of you can do it. Yeah, I know Caleb, I heard Jim talking to a judge friend of his. Don't worry, I've got an idea." Dean said distractedly. He knew his brother needed to eat, but how the hell was he supposed to accomplish that when he didn't feel like it himself. "Don't worry… its cool."

The afternoon passed by quicker than anyone anticipated and soon it was dark, giving way to the nocturnal animals and their calls. A forty-five minute drive from Blue Earth gave way to a clearing housing a group of men in front of two pyres; one belonging to a man that none of the group really knew or understood but felt compelled to do something since no one else claimed him, the other a friend and hunter who they all understood all too well all the while wishing they could have kicked some sense into him. It didn't take long for Jim to bless the remains, and even less time for Bobby and Joshua to light the pyres, each man looking on sadly, witnessing what felt to be an end of something, something bigger than any of them could quite grasp.

Dean watched the fire take his father away, feeling that it was only fitting. Fire stole their mother, now they were well and truly orphaned by the same means. It wasn't a comforting thought, but a solid one; one that he could hold onto with everything he had to give him the strength to do what needed to be done. He turned to look at Sammy and his heart broke; his brother not only looked lost, but drowning in despair. Pulling him closer, Dean knew that if they were separated then his brother wouldn't make it, he also knew that their friends couldn't take them. No, it was time to follow through with his plan and hopefully everyone would be able to forgive him.

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The constant snores echoing through the halls masked the booted footsteps on the wood of the rectory, concealing the slight pause in the kitchen before making its way surefooted through the door and over the gravel. The sound of a squeaking door breaking the silence in the night before the throaty growl of an engine turning over shattered whatever illusion the creatures of the night had at having a peaceful rest.

The roads were dark and deserted, and even with the high beams on it took Dean's constant vigilance to stay on the road tonight, his little brother sound asleep in the backseat wrapped warm and secure in dad's leather coat. With the engine being his company, he allowed himself to think he was the only one awake until he almost swerved off the road when he heard a voice in the back.

"It's my fault Dean." Sammy whispered; his throat still clogged with tears. "I'm sorry Dean, it's all my fault."

Dean didn't know which scared him more, the thought he didn't even know his baby brother was awake, or the fact that the same brother thought he was to blame for them being on the road. "No Sammy, this is my decision, I promise I…"

"No Dean… Dad… Dad and I had a fight and I called him selfish and a… a… bastard. I was so- so mad and he-he wasn't listening and…" Sammy let the words trail off as he began to cry again. "Right before you got back from the store, right before he picked up his bag and got ready to leave, do you know what he said? He said, "Good Night Sammy", and I didn't say anything to him… _nothing! It's all my fault_! I should have said something, _anything_!"

Letting out a breath, Dean pulled the car to the side and turned it off before climbing into the back. It took some effort to pull his little brother into the hug, but he finally managed it. Sure, he knew that his brother and dad fought… it was beginning to be a regular occurrence. He also knew that most likely their dad had a few choice words tossed in there himself, and that he'd probably only told Sammy goodnight because he knew he wouldn't be home for a couple of weeks; it was a tradition that started the very first hunt and continued today. But at the moment all Sammy could remember was the harsh words he had tossed around. No wonder the kid was a mess.

"Sammy, listen to me. Dad was a hardass at times, but he loved you. And if you and he got into a fight, then I know he gave as good as he got, so don't lay this at your feet. Ok kiddo? Now, how about you going back to sleep and I'll wake you when it's time to stop for breakfast." Although he saw the hesitation in Sammy's eyes, he also saw the faith. Settling his brother back along the seat, he crawled back behind the wheel and began their trek once more, this time though more determined to give his little brother what he needed.

"Good Night Sammy."

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AN: Ok, is this a multi chapter fic, or a one shot???


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Ok, normally I wouldn't do this... but what the heck. Dean's reaction (or lack thereof) over John's death is actually reasonable... he has Sammy to worry about. So far, Sammy has been (and always has been) his number one priority. Now for the ones who think he should be reacting like he did in ELAC, please remember one minor yet important thing - John didn't tell him he'd have to kill his brother before he died... so that sets things in a whole new light. Yes, he's hurting, but as long as he's got his little brother, everything else will come in second - even his own pain. Don't believe me? Rewatch the series. Now, with that said and done... on with the story. Thanks! :)

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The sun had already done its job of waking the youngest Winchester, giving Dean a break in trying to figure out the best way to do it. Now with his brother by his side, Dean was looking for the best place to stop and decided that the nearest truck stop would probably do since he wanted them to blend in as much as possible.

"Dean, I'm really not hungry." Sam whispered, not bothering to look anywhere besides the passing scenery.

Nodding, Dean had a feeling that was coming. After the initial shock that Sammy didn't remember their conversation from last night, it quickly became clear that this was something he could use to his advantage. "Tell you what Sammy, we'll stop and put in an order, if you still don't feel like eating by the time we're done then it's cool, we'll grab something else for later. Besides, what do you think Dad would say if he found out I was starving you, huh?"

Sam whipped his head around in shock and fear, his thoughts almost visible in his eyes. "Dad?"

"Yeah Dude, Dad… you know… large guy, scruffy beard, likes to growl a lot when he's not getting his way. Dad. Come on man… don't tell me you forgot…"

"I know who Dad is Dean, I'm not stupid! But… Dad's…"

"Dead. Yeah Sammy, I know. And you wanna know what else I know? He'd come back and kick my ass if I let something happen to you. Hell, he'd probably bring Mom with him to help." Dean waited and began to smile when he noticed Sammy relaxing a bit. Sure, he knew he was hitting below the belt, but he also knew that no matter how upset his little brother had been at their Dad, the kid loved him enough to try and make the guy proud.

"Ok Dean."

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The truck stop was busy, barely giving normal sized vehicles room to maneuver through the parking lot, much less classic beauties the ability to find a reasonably close parking spot. Taking advantage of the situation though, Dean found two semi's he was able to park in between, giving them a bit of camouflage in case anyone they knew came close. It wasn't the ideal situation, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

"Alright bro, let's see just how many phone numbers we can get." Dean said while pulling Sammy closer to him as they walked across the parking lot towards the door announcing 'Home Cooked Meals'. He had no delusions that the food was going to be anywhere close to five stars, but at the moment all he cared about was getting food into Sammy without having some hunter find them and drag them back.

They didn't have a problem finding a table, since the one in the furthest corner right next to the kitchen doors was still available giving them the perfect place to watch as people came in and out while still able to stay in the shadows.

The redheaded waitress looked too young to sound so old, but she was nice and polite even in her harried manner. It didn't take long before she had their order of two breakfast specials, one coffee and a glass of milk, leaving the brothers to sit and watch the others quietly in an attempt to stave off any conversations that might be overheard. The cooks in the kitchen were cussing more than talking apparently some sort of personal shorthand to make the day go by quicker, two guys in their late teens raced around bussing tables while a total of three waitresses took care of the room full of customers leaving one solitary old man to man the cash register while perching precariously on a stool watching CNN.

It didn't take long for the two platters, one cup and a glass to suddenly appear along with the check on the corner of the table. Dean immediately dug into his food while casually watching his brother as he stared at it, slowly gaining a green hue. Concerned, he was about to say something when he noticed Sammy reaching for his milk, drinking half of it before coming back up for air. Smiling, he allowed his brother another moment and continued with his meal while watching the doors; if someone came in he would know it.

"Dean," Sam spoke quietly, not taking his eyes off his plate of food, "where are we going?"

Sighing, Dean took another bite before chasing it with a mouthful of coffee. "How about you let me worry about that for awhile, ok kiddo?" he asked, hoping that his brother believed in him enough to make sure everything turned out alright.

Nodding, Sam sat quietly for another minute before whispering, "I was thinking… Denver would probably be big enough to hide for awhile… you know… if you wanted."

Taking a moment to act as if he were thinking about it, he couldn't deny the reasoning behind Sammy's words; sometimes the best places to hide was out in the open, and a busy city wouldn't notice two more people walking around.

"Come on kiddo, eat up, we need to get back on the road."

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Caleb walked into the small rectory and shook off the rain before stomping across to the kitchen and the fresh pot of coffee. He ignored the others who looked as awful as he felt and wondered just how they had missed the signs.

"We'll find them." Jim said quietly as he nursed yet another cup of coffee. No one had noticed what Dean had been doing the night before after supper, assuming he had gone to try and coax his little brother out of their car again. It definitely was a surprise to learn that the wayward teen had crawled under every car in the driveway and managed to pull a couple of plug wires loose to each vehicle. It was actually ingenious how he did it, not alerting anyone with opening or closing a hood, and if they weren't still upset for him taking his brother and leaving they'd all probably be laughing about it right now.

Bobby shook his head knowing that if they hadn't found a trace of the boys yet, they probably weren't going to until they were good and ready to come home and with them knowing that social services were already on the case, then that wouldn't be for a good long time.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" he asked gruffly. Sitting around wasn't what he thought of as a good time.

Jim looked at Bobby, Caleb and Joshua and was about to give his idea when the knock on the door brought all their attention around to the people standing outside in the rain demanding entrance. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they were and what they wanted. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and showed the newcomers to the living area where the hunters gathered to help do as much damage control as possible.

"Pastor Murphy, you remember Ms. Taylor with Child Services?" Sherriff Brannon asked as he took position at the fireplace. He didn't want to be here in this context and didn't mind showing his distaste for the whole situation. If it were up to him, he'd still be out trying to track down those boys and bringing them home to the family they'd always known.

"Of course, how are you Ms. Taylor?" Jim asked, trying hard not to show how uneasy he felt at the moment about having this woman in his home.

Ms. Taylor looked at the men gathered in the room and wanted nothing more than to bolt out the door, but she had a job to do whether they appreciated it or not. "Pastor Murphy, as you know I was scheduled to pick up Samuel and Dean Winchester today to take him to their new foster parents, however with the news of their running away, my supervisors are insisting on declaring them 'Endangered Runaways' so there will be more support in finding them. However, I still need to find out how this happened so we can be sure that it won't be repeated when they are brought back."

Stunned, the hunters wondered just what the woman was talking about. The only reason why Jim had notified the police was to make sure to cover their own asses so no one could say they didn't follow 'protocol' when they finally got their own ducks in a row to try and get custody of the boys. Hindsight might be twenty-twenty but it was blatantly obvious why they should have just done it their way and been done with it.

"Look Ms. Taylor, we understand your concern but…"

"I seriously doubt that Mr. Singer. There are too many cases of runaways ending up dead on the street, and I have to caution that if we don't find them soon, that could very well be the case here. From what we could ascertain, Dean is a hot head who doesn't think beyond the here and now. How is he going to take care of his little brother, when he is obviously ill equipped to take care of himself?" Ms. Taylor asked as she once again looked over the file they had compiled about the Winchesters. She was shocked however when she heard the chuckles coming from each man in the room she looked up puzzled.

Caleb couldn't help himself, the idea that Dean couldn't take care of himself or Dean was almost hysterical. "Believe me ma'am; Dean is more than equipped to take care of himself, even more… his baby brother."

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Dean drove past the 'Welcome to Denver' sign and barely noticed the announcement of them entering the Mile High City, although his mind did flicker at the suggestion of 'mile high' but fought it down with more important musings – like how to get his little brother to smile.

It had been a long trip from Blue Earth, mainly since they had actually been heading East when the idea of Denver came about, making the normally twelve hour trip turn closer to eighteen. He didn't mind though, driving kept his mind off things better left alone, things he wasn't ready to deal with at the moment. Now it was dark and cold and all he really wanted to do was find a place to crash for the night before deciding the best way to go about settling in. He hadn't told Sammy yet, but when he was going through the Impala taking inventory of everything, he'd found a wad of cash stashed in a dark corner of the trunk between the carpet and the frame. Although he had no idea what their dad had planned to do with it, he knew that right now they needed it more than whatever had been initially planned.

Looking over at Sammy, Dean grew more concerned. Ever since they left the truck stop, his little brother had become quiet, and the further away from where they had been, the more withdrawn he became.

"Hey kiddo, how about we find a place to sleep then we'll do some sightseeing tomorrow?" he asked, knowing that Sammy wasn't really sleeping. Not getting an answer, he turned his attention back towards the road and kept his eye out for someplace they could stay that no one would notice who they were. Seeing a Motor Inn, he quickly parked in front of the office and strode inside noticing who was close by and who was staying cautiously away.

"I need a double for the night." Dean stated as he noticed the middle aged man barely taking his focus off his small TV on the counter.

"Thirty dollars." The man said as he handed over a key. "Check out's at eleven, no maid service."

Nodding, Dean handed over the cash, grabbed the key and quickly scribbled a name down on the card that was passed to him, knowing the man would never look at it. As he pulled in front of their room, he looked at Sammy and tried to add some levity to the situation.

"Ok kiddo, you know the drill… with such a fine establishment as this we furnish our own sleeping gear and bug spray."

Sammy nodded wearily before getting out of the Impala and making his way towards the trunk, leaving his brother to sigh sadly before joining him.


	3. Chapter 3

It felt weird, not having any particular place to go, no one expecting you to do something or be somewhere, but Dean was determined to make the most of it. After waking Sammy as soon as the sun began to beam through the window, Dean steered his little brother away from the bathroom telling him anything he needed to do in there could wait until they got somewhere a little less… infested. Now they both were sitting in a little café curled around their coffees waiting for their orders, both quiet, both reflecting on what had happened and what could have happened.

"Dean?" Sammy asked quietly, not raising his eyes while he spoke. "What are we going to do now?"

Dean leaned back and surveyed their surroundings as if he didn't have a care in the world, taking in everyone and everything within close proximity. Finally, after assuring himself it was safe to talk without whispering he smiled, "Just what we're doing Sammy. We're going to eat our breakfast, take a look around and if we're lucky find an apartment. Why? What's thumping around in that head of yours?"

"Nothing."

"Sammy?"

"It's just…" Sammy broke off, afraid of saying something wrong, afraid of sending his brother away. "What if we get caught?"

Laughing, Dean shook his head. Leave it to his little brother to be worried about _that_! "Well let's see… _I'm_ not planning on knocking over any liquor stores, are _you_?" he asked, amused that Sammy had made it sound like they were doing something illegal. Seeing his brother's smirk he continued, "Look kiddo, don't worry about it. How many times did Dad leave us alone and we weren't caught, right? So, what's the difference? We'll find a place to stay, we'll get you in school, and we'll do what we've always done… ok?"

"You too." Sammy said quietly, raising his worried eyes to Dean. Seeing his brother's question he explained, "You have to go to school too, it's important!"

Seeing that Sammy was serious, Dean wasn't about to argue… not now anyway. "Yeah, ok little brother, me too."

The waitress arrived at their side and carefully placed the platters of food in front of them before being called away to another table. They'd ordered the biggest breakfasts on the menu out of habit, normally not knowing when they'd stop again to eat. Now though it just looked like a big waste and neither of them knew what to do about it. Dean wanted Sammy to feel comfortable, maybe even a little settled, and some of their old habits were going to have to go to the wayside if that was going to happen. Not about to let good food go to waste, Dean began digging in while making a mental note not to let it happen again.

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Jim stood in the living room looking out the window wondering where the boys were and if they were alright. None of the hunters they had contacted had seen or heard from them, which could have been translated to either good or bad news – good that the boys hadn't run into trouble, bad that they still didn't have any leads. Another day had dawned and already he was feeling the failure.

"Don't worry Jim, we'll find them." Caleb said as he walked through the rectory with a cup of coffee in his hand and wiping the remaining sleep from his face. "Those two can be stubborn, but they still know that they're loved and that we're here for them."

"I don't doubt that they knew that Caleb, what I do doubt is that they knew what we were trying to do on their behalf." Jim said sadly, knowing that the subject never came up with either boy, even if it had been the main topic for all of them. "They had no idea that Bobby was trying to get everything ready to gain guardianship over them."

Caleb paused a moment before he let out a deep dark breath, silently cursing himself for not thinking about that. "How's he taking it?"

Barely looking over his shoulder Jim answered solemnly, "I made sure the hard stuff was locked away and called Billy's to let them know to watch over him."

Nodding, Caleb understood what Jim meant. Billy's was a local dive that most 'decent' people stayed away from, and those who did venture inside were known to be looking for trouble. If Bobby was so far gone in his worry and grief, if was logical that he would find himself there some time or another. "Joshua with him?"

"Well I would have been if I'd known he was that far gone." Joshua groused from the kitchen while pouring himself a cup of coffee. He'd spent the whole night trying to follow a few leads that led to dead ends before heading back to Blue Earth. "I thought I had a lead in Chicago but found out a little too late that it was a couple of frat boys on a road trip."

Smirking, Caleb shook his head wondering how anyone could have mistaken the Winchester boys as college kids. Sure, Sammy was a brainiac and one day the kid probably _would_ go to college, but for now he was a little guy who had to dodge bullies at every school he went to, while Dean had a very clear distaste for school of any kind.

The sound of the kitchen door opening cause all three men to turn sharply, ready to deal with any intruder, relieved though to find Bobby standing there brushing snow off his coat.

"They're gone." He said heavily as if not really believing it himself. "Every contact I've got, every lead I've chased says the same damned thing – they're gone and I don't have a clue how to help find them. God help me, I don't know how to help them." He said as he sat heavily at the table.

Walking closer to their friend, the hunters sadly took their seats. "We'll find them Bobby, don't worry, we'll find them."

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Normally Dean would have stayed away from the whole tourist scene, but if they were going to stay in Denver for any length of time they needed to know which neighborhoods offered what. They'd spent most of the day driving around looking at the different areas, comparing parks and houses and noting walking distances to different stores. He had to laugh at Sammy's expression when they drove past mansions with their meticulously kept yards, knowing that his little brother was having trouble coinciding that houses like that actually had people living in them. The kid knew on some level that it was true, but on the level that he'd never experienced it, it was hard to really accept it.

"Dean, can we stop and walk for a little while?" Sammy asked quietly, looking along the store fronts and actually wanting to be a part of something – anything.

Looking at his brother and the wistful look on his face he couldn't deny him, it was the first thing he'd actually asked for since their dad had passed. "Sure thing kiddo, let me find a spot then we'll head out on foot, alright?"

It didn't take long to find a parking lot next to a brick building, and even less time locking the car up and making their way to the sidewalk. Both boys took in the area, catching everything with their gazes while making their way across the street to a restaurant that advertised nightly jazz music and daily blue plate specials.

Stepping inside the warm establishment, Dean looked around and noticed the diverse clientele, taking special attention at an older man who looked content in being left alone while sitting in the far dark corner. Unease was beginning to creep up his spine when the hostess walked up and smiled.

"Don't worry about Frankie, he's harmless; just likes to make people think he's an old bear." She said with a true cheeriness that Dean couldn't help but smile. "Where would you two like to sit today?"

Dean was in the process of looking for the best vantage point when he heard Sammy ask timidly, "Can we sit by the window?" He didn't know if his little brother was asking him or their hostess, but there was something in his voice that he couldn't deny. "Sure we can little bro, I bet that's exactly where she was going to sit us, right sweetheart?"

Smiling, the hostess nodded and motioned for them to follow her and happily sat the menus down onto the table. "We're in between shifts now so I'll be your waitress too. How about I get you both something warm to drink?"

Smiling, Dean couldn't help but think of another way she could keep him warm but decided that coffee would be the way to go at the moment. Watching how his little brother's eyes lit up and the mention of hot chocolate with marshmallows he knew he made the right decision in reining his thoughts.

"She's so totally into you Sammy." Dean teased while wiggling his eyebrows and nodding towards the hostess. He wasn't expecting the blush that crept up Sammy's or his head to suddenly drop down hidden from view by his hair. "Whoa… Sammy, dude!"

"Shuddap Dean!" Sammy whispered harshly as he noticed the girl walking back towards them.

Amazed at the change in his little brother, Dean watched as shy Sammy showed up in full force and he had to wonder just what the hell happened. Not sure exactly what he just ordered for them, he continued to watch his brother until understanding finally began to dawn on him, _Sammy has a crush! '_Oh little brother.' Dean thought sadly as he watched Sammy look over to the retreating waitress.

"She's nice." Sammy whispered before sipping his hot chocolate, not looking at Dean at all.

Smiling slightly, Dean agreed all the while trying to figure out a way to keep his little brother's heart from getting broken. "Yeah Sammy, real nice."

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It was getting dark earlier than what Dean had planned, and not wanting to take any extra risks immediately drove to the nearest decent motel they came across, down the street from the restaurant they just left. Knowing that they could very well be there for a little while until they found another place to stay, he booked the room for a week with his fake ID declaring him Dean Trace, age eighteen from Columbus, Ohio. His dad had made sure he had it right before he left on that last hunt, trusting him to use it only in an emergency. Well, if this wasn't an emergency he didn't know what was. He glanced at the ID briefly, glad that he looked more like a youthful adult than a scrawny kid a lot of kids his age looked like, it had helped them a lot in recent years and he hoped that their luck would continue.

Parking the Impala as close to their room as possible, Dean looked at Sammy and smiled. His little brother had the biggest heart and there was no way he was going to let him down, not now… not ever. They'd find a place to live, Sammy would go to school, and they'd deal with everything else as it came along. He hadn't thought about hunting, but knew it would be an issue at some point, right now though he just wanted to get his brother inside and settled before someone or something started trouble.

"We're here Sammy." He said softly, carefully watching as his brother's eyes slowly opened. "How about we get inside and see what type movies are on tonight, I paid extra so we can catch a couple in case the storm they were talking about blows in."

Shocked, Sammy looked at Dean and slowly smiled. It wasn't often they got to watch a new movie, and the thought of being in their own room while they did sounded awesome. "Really Dean? Are you sure?" He wasn't stupid, he knew that they had to be running low on money – they were always running low on money.

"Yep… you, me… a couple snacks from the vending machines and I think we'll be set. The only thing I ask little Dude is no chick flicks, ok?" Dean said with a shudder, knowing that girls were the furthest from his little brother's mind – well, besides the cute little waitress they just met.

"Deeeaaaan!"

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The snow began to fall around midnight, giving off a glow to the surrounding area, illuminating shadows that normally stayed hidden. The storm alerts quickly caused restaurants and entertainment establishments to close early, sending patrons and personnel home to seek shelter. Not everyone was taking shelter though, one lone figure walked down the long abandoned street, not bothering to worry about traffic sensing none within his area. Soon he was joined by another, and then another until a small band of dark figures walked in unison down the middle of the street, content to know that tonight the hunt was on, that their challenge had just begun.


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of a long forgotten one hit wonder playing from the radio alarm brought Dean into full focus as he sat up and looked around to ensure nothing was out of place. It had been two months since he and Sammy had driven into Denver, and a month and a half since they had managed to somehow land the loft apartment above the restaurant they visited their first day in town.

Standing, he stretched a little and looked over at his little brother and smiled a moment before quietly making his way into the kitchen area to make some coffee. He listened to the news report and pushed down the combined sense of excitement and dread as he heard that there had been two more murders in their area last night. It apparently had been becoming a regular occurrence over the last three to four months, but now whoever it was seemed to be getting bolder – not even bothering to hide the bodies, just letting the lifeless form stay wherever it landed. He knew that the police weren't going to find anything, that they were looking for a normal everyday serial killer not something supernatural in nature, which made it so hard to do what he was doing – nothing.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, it was more like he couldn't… not right now. Sammy had just begun to open up and smile again, but he knew that right now his brother's biggest fear was losing him. So instead of actually hunting, he and Sammy would continue to train, and look for clues as to what they would be looking for if they were actually to go out and hunt whatever it was down. All in all it was a good thing, it kept them on their toes without actually risking each other, but then again, people were still dying and it was starting to weigh heavily on them both. However, until Sammy felt better about big brother being out of his sight, then all hunts had to be put on hold. That didn't stop them from passing the information along though, which brought him to his next quandary – how to keep Sammy out of school for the next week without raising suspicion.

"Dean… do you think they're here yet?" Sammy asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes and began a slow roll out of bed.

"Yeah Sammy, I'm pretty sure of it. I noticed someone lurking around across the street when the restaurant was closing up for the night. Don't worry though; I made sure the Impala is hidden at the garage and that if anyone starts asking questions we'll get a quick call." Dean stated lightly as he placed a large glass of milk in front of his little brother. That was something else that had changed; Sammy hardly ever ate breakfast anymore without an immediate visit to wastebasket or toilet. So now the kid drank a glass of plain milk before even deciding if his stomach can handle anything else.

Nodding, Sammy drank half his milk before setting the glass down and looked at Dean. "So what are we going to do now?" he asked, truly wondering if they were going to be prisoners in their apartment now.

Dean leaned back against the counter and looked at his brother carefully. He knew what Sammy was asking and he really didn't have a simple answer for him. Normally he would have said that they'd carry on like normal and just be extra careful of their surroundings, but right now wasn't normal circumstances – not after the call he'd taken from Sammy's teacher last week.

"_Mr. Trace, I understand you're very busy, but I'm truly concerned for Sam's well being. He stays to himself most of the time, and it's almost painful to watch him during lunch as he sits by himself and picks at his food. Normally I would give it more time but…"_

"_But you're worried about him, I understand. Look, Ms. Morrison, I know that Sammy's still trying to adjust to a new school and everything that's been going on, so…"_

"_Is there something going on in the home Mr. Morrison? Something that I or someone else can help with?"_

_Sighing, Dean had known this was going to happen and as much as he hoped he wasn't going to have to play this card, he knew that it would most likely keep certain people from asking too many of the wrong questions. _

"_No ma'am, nothing wrong… just… huh… our Dad, he's… sick. Nothing horribly wrong, more like chronic." He heard the sad gasp on the other end of the line and knew the question being that was about to be asked. "Sammy worries a lot about the situation and no matter how many times I tell him that we're all sticking together, he's worried something's going to happen and… well, he gets worked up about it. He's actually starting to relax more than he was, so I'm hoping that with a little more time…"_

_A heavy sigh came from the teacher and Dean knew that they had barely missed the bullet. "Ok, that answers a few things. But I really must let you know in all fairness, if I notice any signs of abuse or neglect, then I will have to report it. As it is I'll try to draw him out a bit more and see if that will help. Oh, but before I let you go, I thought I'd give you a heads up about the flu outbreak in the school. We're noticing an increase in cases this year, so please be extra careful. I'd hate for Sam to get ill on top of everything else."_

Ok, so he didn't like leading the lady on by making their dad sound like some barely functioning drunk, but it was the only thing that he could think of that would explain their dad's persistent absence from meetings as well as his own responsibility towards his little brother without really raising red flags everywhere. Its one thing for a parent to be drunk but still keeping their child in a safe environment, it was totally different if that same parent was dead.

"Well, I was thinking that today we hit the bookstore down the street, grab a bit of lunch and visit with Gerri until she finally gets tired of us and tosses us out on our ears, what do you think about that?" Dean asked, hoping that the thought of sitting and talking with the pretty little waitress would bring his brother out of his funk.

"But what about…"

"Whoever it is most likely will be in the library most of the day, and then will grab some lunch on the go before hitting the alleys trying to find a good spot to plan an ambush. If we do it right, we'll have today to ourselves as long as we get back before two or three, ok? Don't worry; we'll lay low after today until we know they're gone. Right now I just want you to relax kiddo; you're wound tighter than a guitar string."

Sammy looked up at Dean in shock before he shifted his gaze back at his milk and smiled, "Yeah, like you'd know what that was like."

Stunned, Dean looked at Sammy and faked indignation all the while happy for this small moment of normalcy.

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The sun was making its way above the horizon, sending the nocturnal animals into their homes to sleep through the day. Other beings took it as their sign as well to take a break from their activities and go into hiding – it wouldn't do any good for others to know what they were or what they were after. The deep wine cellar of the old Mandolfo Mansion kept them hidden from prying eyes, while still kept them close enough to their food at any given moment. However it was the scent of the newcomers that seemed to tantalize them more lately. They knew the new ones knew they were close, knew they were closing in, and they relished the thought of their new prey feeling unease and fear at their game. Yes, it would be very soon when they would make their move and then their real fun would begin.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Ok, I'll be honest... I'm not completely happy with this one, but am hoping it'll be good enough until I can wow you with the next one. ;) Take care!!!

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Dean was happy he'd thought of this. Normally he and Sammy would have had lounged around until after the lunch rush at the restaurant before making their way through their normal routine, normally consisting of sharing a special before heading out to the nearest park to toss a Frisbee around until it was time to head to the Laundromat to clean their limited wardrobe and get ready for the week ahead. Although Sammy had adapted to their new life, he knew that his little brother still harbored heavy guilt over their dad's death and it weighed so heavily on the kid at times it was painful to watch. Now though he watched as his little brother browsed through the selection of bargain books, making a mental list of which ones he wanted to check out at the library. That was something the kid had always done, preferring to check out the books he wanted to read instead of worrying about having to leave one that had been bought behind somewhere.

"See something you like Sammy?" Dean asked, knowing that the kid had put down more books today than he could ever remember him doing before.

Sammy shook his head before placing yet another one down and sighing heavily. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to come here, especially since there was no way they were going to be able to go the library today, it just made it so hard to look at the very things he wouldn't be able to have. He didn't blame Dean, he really didn't. His big brother had been the best about everything and he wished there was some way that he could show him just how much he was appreciated; unfortunately he couldn't think of anything at the moment and that just feed his unease. He was about to turn and walk out of the store when he felt Dean's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you. Mr. Gibson gave me a commission off that transmission job I sent the shop's way. Apparently he'd been after the guy to let him do some work on the old Caddy, but the guy just wouldn't budge. Now the man has an account with the shop to do all the maintenance on his company's fleet." Dean said with a smile. "So, how about you grab a few of those books you've been eyeing and we head over for some lunch?" He enjoyed Sammy's shock for a moment before he reached around his little brother and picked up four books he knew the kid had been looking at intently, then changed his mind and grabbed a fifth one just because he knew just how fast the kid could read if left alone to do it.

"Dddean?" Sammy asked, a bit shocked that his brother was going to spend so much.

Smiling sadly before replacing it with his patented big brother smirk, Dean turned around and looked Sammy in the eyes, "Come on little bro, you know you want them, and I have the money to do it. Besides, it'll give me a few days to catch that Baywatch marathon without having to worry about covering your eyes all the time."

Turning several shades of red Sammy stood and stammered a moment before following his brother to the cashier and watched as Dean flirted with the girl behind the counter, somehow managing to get an employees discount on the already marked down bargain books. Smiling, he couldn't help but be amazed, and somewhat sickened, by the charm his big brother exuded.

After promising the teen girl behind the counter that they'd come back soon, Dean steered Sammy towards the door, feeling a lot better about doing this one small thing for his baby brother.

"Come on kiddo, let's grab some lunch and see what Gerri's been up too without us to lighten up her boring life."

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Jefferson Dubois hated walking into a situation blind, but there had been something about Singer's phone call that had him rushing to Denver without a second thought to his own hunt that he'd been in the middle of. Sure, it had only been a good old fashioned haunting of a very cliché abandoned farm house, but it was still something to do that didn't involve cataloguing, researching, or interviewing. Still though, there was something about this situation that made the spot between his shoulder blades itch.

"'Bout time you got here." Bobby whispered harshly as he watched Jefferson walk towards him. He'd been in the library since the librarian arrived for work, after convincing the young woman that he was on a deadline and needed to fact check his article before his editor had his head on a pike and gave his assignment to a junior reporter who wanted to do a smear campaign on the tourist industry. Considering he'd noticed the ads for tourism in Colorado on his drive in, he'd thought that was his best bet for a cover, and by the look on the woman's face it paid off.

Grumbling about old men and their favors Jefferson walked over and settled himself close enough to Bobby to see what he was doing without looking as if they were associated in any way.

"Yeah ok, I'm here, so now what?" Jefferson asked as he silently made notes from the info he could see laying along half the table. When Bobby didn't answer him right away he continued to glance at the articles and Bobby's notes, taking a moment occasionally to write his own observations on a separate pad. Letting out a breath he barely looked at Bobby but still caught the confirmation on the man's face.

"Damn it, I thought we got rid of the damn things."

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Sammy couldn't help but smile. Dean had practically dragged him down the street towards their apartment but suddenly dragged him inside the restaurant like some impromptu sidewalk show, causing those around them to laugh at their antics, but it was what his brother did afterwards that had sent his mood soaring.

"Hey Gerri, I need a table, a menu and… _you_!" Dean had practically shouted across the room as he continued to drag his little brother inside.

Laughing, Gerri shook her head and motioned for them to follow her to a booth that the boys had deemed 'prime' within their first week in town. She still had no idea what that meant, but she still laughed anytime she thought about it.

"Sorry Dean, you know my policy about dating customers. Now if you'd stop coming in…"

"And miss those wonderful specials Hank comes up with? Sorry Sweetheart, but I think I'm going to stick with what works." Dean said with a smile, enjoying their normal banter. He and Sammy both knew that Gerri had a boyfriend at UCLA and was more than determined to make their long distance romance work. That didn't stop him from taking every opportunity to make her laugh, more for Sammy's benefit than anyone's though.

Smiling, Sammy knew that Dean was having fun, and didn't want to interrupt, but he also knew his lines and wouldn't dream of depriving his brother.

"Deeeaaaan, get a room." He whined, smiling wider when he heard Dean's answer.

"Sammy, you have no sense of fun whatsoever, but don't worry… big brother's here to help with that problem."

Gerri laughed at the both of them knowing that this was their routine and she wouldn't change a thing. Although she didn't know a lot about them, she felt a connection to them like they were her brothers and loved it when they came in even for just a plate of nachos or a special. She'd tried once to play off an extra plate as if it was a mistake but Dean had called her on it and insisted that he pay for it – something about leaving an old life behind.

"Ok you two, this is a serious establishment." She jokingly chided, knowing the ridiculous looks she was getting from many of the regulars today. Shaking her head she allowed herself to be amused for another moment before she turned her attention fully on the brothers in front of her but was surprised by Dean shaking his head.

"No menus today Gerri, today we're going to be completely spontaneous. I'll have the third item on the second row of the fourth page, and Sammy here is going to have to second item on the first row of the first sheet." Dean said with and exaggerated flair that made both Sammy and Gerri roll their eyes.

"Dean, what if your order is a beer!" Sammy whispered, beginning to worry that his brother was finally cracking under the strain.

Dean shook his head and smiled, "Have faith Sammy. Watch and learn."

"Ok, one charbroiled burger with the works and one order of extra cheesy chicken quesadillas coming up." Gerri said after consulting one of the menus. She wasn't sure what was going on but Dean looked like the Cheshire cat at the moment. "Sammy, try to keep him in line – I have a feeling he's up to something."

Sammy nodded with wide eyes before looking at Dean. "Why'd you do that Dean? Now we won't have enough for later!" he said, knowing that the only reason why Dean insisted on having the one meal a day in the restaurant was for him, and they couldn't really afford it. He might be eleven be he knew that Dean working at the garage gave them barely enough for their current expenses and if they had to move in a hurry it was going to be really hard to do.

Something about the desperation in Sammy's face made Dean pause his normal retort before he quietly asked, "Sammy, the school doesn't have a grant to give all the students free lunches, do they?"

Shocked, Sammy sat and tried to figure out a way to reverse the conversation, but had no idea what to say that wouldn't give the lie away. He didn't want to tell his brother that he hadn't been eating lunch so they could save that money for other things they needed. Not sure what to say, he looked down at the table and was shocked when he felt a hand on his arm. Looking up all he saw was his brother looking at him with the saddest look he'd ever seen.

"Aw Sammy… kiddo… we definitely need to talk about this."

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The Mandolfo Mansion had long been abandoned as a primary residence, giving way to a museum with memorabilia from around the world. The renovations had taken millions of dollars and close to a decade to accomplish but it hadn't been enough to even begin repairs in the basement and wine cellars, leaving the lower portions in the same state of disrepair as it had been over twenty years previous. Most people thought it was a shame that the work had never been completed, but there were those who knew how to utilize an opportunity.

"Our greatest achievement will be tonight, under the youngling hunter's nose." A voice echoed in the shadow. "Is everything ready for our guest?"

A slight rustling was heard before a noise of agreement followed. The owner of it emerged and smiled. "Yes, everything is ready for our little visitor. I do have to wonder if it'll be as worth it as we've been told."

The leader smiled widely and breathed in deeply. "I smell him and his brother, their father's scent is a part of theirs and it sings to me. Yes, this will be a great boon for us. Once we have the youngest, we will finally have the bargaining chip we need. Rest now, I am expecting quite the battle for little Sammy Winchester tonight."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I am so sorry for the wait, I've been extremely tired lately with the business and the weird weather. Hopefully the next one will be quicker in coming.

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Dean sat and watched his little brother sleep wondering how he could have missed something that big, that Sammy hadn't been eating lunch while trying to help him save money. If it hadn't been so heart rending Dean was sure he'd have found the idea absurd – even Dad had insisted they eat lunch no matter what. Sighing, he continued to watch and worry. It hadn't taken long from the time he'd figured out Sammy's little secret and the promise of a talk over the subject that his little brother had effectively shut down, not even smiling to Gerri when she came to the table. Thankfully they had been able to make their order to go, but as soon as they had hit the apartment door his brother had laid down and immediately went to sleep – another sign that something wasn't right.

'Damn it little brother, when did I become the person you couldn't talk to?' Dean asked silently, suddenly afraid that if Sammy clammed up about this, what would the kid do if something more important came along?

Looking out the window he was surprised to see the light already diminishing making him wonder just how long they'd both been in their little worlds. Shaking his head he was heading towards the kitchen when he'd heard the faint knock on the door. Puzzled, he cautiously made his way to the door ready to call out to whomever was there, but it was the visitor who announced themselves first, surprising Dean further.

"Uh Dean, I know you said you weren't coming down for dinner, I thought I'd bring something up."

The shakiness of Gerri's voice didn't disturb him, not at first. It wasn't until he had the door already slightly ajar before he suddenly realized what it was he'd heard – fear.

The door slammed forward with Gerri's now unconscious body being shoved onto him. Thrown off balance, Dean stumbled backwards while looking at the intruders, sure that this had to be some sort of freaky hallucination – what he was seeing wasn't real!

"Take care of this one, I'll get the prize."

Nodding, a large man suddenly appeared before Dean before his shock could register. Sudden darkness was what the eldest Winchester saw before realizing just how badly he failed his brother, before he didn't realize anything.

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Bobby looked over the notes again and shook his head. He was sure Daniel had sworn the damn things had been eradicated, but that's exactly what it looked like they were dealing with. It wouldn't have been that much of an issue except he was sure that Dean had been the one who sent him the news clippings meaning the boys had to be close by; unfortunately he had no idea where.

"So, you still thinking tonight behind The Silver Bell?" Joshua asked, growing more concerned by each new fact they found. If the boys were really in Denver, then they needed to get rid of these freaks as soon as possible – it would be true Winchester luck to get caught in the middle of something while trying to hide out.

Nodding, Bobby pulled out the map and used his overlay to show the attacks. Although there had been attacks all over the downtown area, there was something about this neighborhood that stood out making him want to keep an eye on it tonight, hopefully even ending the hunt before it really began.

"Ok, so we know where we're staking out, and we know what, the question is what will we do if we actually catch one?" Joshua asked, knowing what he wanted to do, but wasn't willing to lose an opportunity to question one of these horrid creatures.

Looking at Joshua, Bobby didn't look away as he pulled out a machete and placed it on the table.

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Alexi Harkov stood and waited for the others to arrive, for his prize to be brought to him. It wouldn't take long now to have his ace against the demon, and it would not bode well for anyone or anything to get in his way.

The plan to attack while it was still light had been intricate in the details, mainly that no one was to know of young Samuel's abduction, no one was to see or hear anything. While most of their kind coward in the shadows while the sun shone, he'd trained his children not to fear the daylight, but to make the most of it when the need arose.

"Alexi, they are here. Do you want the child in the prepared room, or…"

"Bring him to me. I would like to see the boy who has the underworld frothing at the mouth." Alexi decreed as he walked to meet with the others. Seeing the child unconscious, a feeling of rage began to burn deep within him. "I told you not to hurt him." He growled, snatching Sammy away from the young man who had carried the small burden through the tunnels.

Looking between the others and Alexi, the young man insisted, "I swear to you Alexi, he was already sleeping when we arrived. It didn't take much to keep him unawares."

Nodding, Alexi looked down at the youthful face and pondered what would such a foul creature want with such an innocent boy. "Yes, very good Matthew. Please take him to his room for the moment. We'll let him rest before we begin."

The young man named Matthew rushed to meet his father's demand and quickly disappeared from the room, carrying Sammy close as if a treasured object.

"Father, are you sure we know why the demon wants the boy? I mean, if he's so special why isn't he protected from the humans? Why is he left to his own devices?"

Smiling, Alexi shook his head. "I do not know Marta, but I have a feeling we will know the answers very soon. For the demon to agree to our terms, then this boy is extremely special to Azazel… we need to find out why that is."

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Dean woke to a weight on him, making him wonder what the hell was going on. He remembered watching his little brother sleeping and then…

"Sammy?" he called out, trying hard to open his eyes as he slowly began to realize that the weight on him was actually female giving him more of a nudge to wake up. Finally able to look around he saw Gerri lying on him, eyes closed as if asleep. Knowing that he wouldn't have brought a girl up to their room, especially someone his brother had been crushing on, the only other explanation was –

"SAMMY!" Dean called out, immediately looking towards the bed he'd last seen his brother on. Seeing it empty he gently rolled Gerri off him and rushed around the apartment praying that Sammy was hiding somewhere and wasn't with what he thought he was. 'Dammit Dad, you told us they were a myth, that they were the one damn thing in our twisted lives that weren't real,' he fumed, wishing his dad was there to answer for this misinformation. "Damn it!"

Gerri slowly woke, wondering what had happened, when she heard Dean let out an angry curse. Remembering the people who had threatened her, she immediately sat up and looked at her friend in concern.

"Dean, I'm so sorry. They wouldn't let me go until I brought them to you. I think they wanted Sammy for some reason. I wasn't going to do it but…"

"No, don't do that. Don't apologize for something you couldn't help, this isn't your fault. Right now though I need to find Sammy. They didn't say anything about what they wanted him for did they? Maybe where they were going next?" Dean asked, concerned more about his brother than her hurt feelings. Seeing the negative shake of her head, he once again let out a muttered curse and wondered just how the hell their luck could be so bad to run into a band of vamps while they tried to stay hidden from the very hunters he himself had brought to town. The irony definitely was not lost on him.

Sighing, Dean ran his hand down his face before looking out the window to the street below, in hopes of seeing something – anything – to show him where they might have gone. Feeling foolish that the damn creatures would have left him a clue, he turned back to Gerri and tried to give a smile, knowing that it would seem false.

"I'll find him Gerri. I swear to you, I'll find him." Dean promised while running all the things he'd do to those who took Sammy through his head. "I'll find him and make them pay."

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The door opened quietly allowing the tall figure entrance inside. The lone figure on the pallet in the corner of the room called to him, beaconed him to find out what secrets the child held. Alexi had planned to wait until the boy woke, but the puzzle was too intriguing to ignore, leaving him more than anxious to solve it. As he made his way closer, he wondered what about this child would allow Azazel to feel the need to make an agreement bring him those who had decimated his clan, his family. His revenge against Daniel Elkins, John Winchester as well as those who had accompanied them would be long and arduous, and he would relish each and every moment. Until then, he would see why such a small price had been accepted for such a large deed.

Kneeling, Alexi touched Sammy and allowed the heat of the small body to guide him until finally he found the spot on the young wrist, his fangs sinking in until he tasted the burst of the boy's life force and something different, something…

"Yes, now I'm beginning to understand."


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I am sooo sorry for the long wait. Family drama, busy work, no energy, and a dozen other reasons later and I'm finally able to post. With that said, I hope you all enjoy!!!

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It had been two days. Two days that Dean had been searching the dark shadows for his little brother while trying his damnedest to stay out of sight of Bobby and Joshua. It had been close a few times, but thankfully luck was on his side at the moment. Luck. Now that was something he wanted to laugh about. If he was so damned lucky then how the hell had he lost his Sammy?

'I'll find you Sammy, just hang on,' he thought, knowing somehow that his little brother was still alive. 'I'll find you.'

Denver seemed to have had enough of the cold weather for awhile and was at the moment enjoying a sunny day with mild temperatures and winds to match, sending the locals and tourists alike out in the open as if it were actually the first day of Spring. That was fine by Dean since it would give him more cover to search and listen while blending in with the rest of the crowd. Gerri had insisted on taking some time off from work to help, but he knew that she couldn't really afford to do that so he compromised with her and allowed her to 'help' on her breaks as well as her next day off. There was no way he'd allow her to get in the middle of it, but he knew she needed something to do to keep her mind off what she had come to feel was a betrayal to him and Sammy.

"Dean, I need to tell you something." Gerri whispered urgently to him as soon as he sat down in his normal spot, effectively ignoring the empty space across from him. "There were some men here earlier. They had your picture and was showing it around saying they were you and Sammy's uncles. Are you in some sort of trouble?"

Sighing, Dean ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "No… not more than normal. Look it's sort of complicated ok? But me and Sammy didn't do anything wrong, you've got to believe that, ok?"

Gerri nodded and pretended to take Dean's order even though she already knew what he'd want. "Ok… that's ok then. Look, I think they'll be back soon, so maybe I can sneak whatever you need up to your apartment?"

Shaking his head, Dean smiled sadly. "That's ok. I'm thinking that after I choke this one down I'll probably be scarce for awhile. Not that I don't like the food, it's just… I can't let them find me, not now… not when…"

"I understand. Ok, I don't… but I get what you're saying." Gerri said while carefully glancing around the restaurant. She'd already informed most of the staff that they needed to be wary of anyone asking about the brothers, and without going into detail she implied that anyone who did wasn't someone they wanted hanging around. "You know I'll help, so let me know what you need, ok?"

Nodding, Dean appreciated the offer even if he had no idea what he'd need or when. At the moment the only reason why he took the time or effort to eat, when he didn't know if Sammy was able to, was the fact that he knew in his head that he needed to keep his strength up if we was going to make whoever took his little brother pay… and he intended for them to pay in spades.

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Alexi smiled slightly as he watched both Marta and Colin leave the boy's room looking more refreshed than he could remember seeing either of them being before. Yes, it was definitely a sign that he was right about the reason why Azazel wanted young Samuel so badly, and also a reason why he couldn't give the boy up just yet. Oh he had no doubt the demon would argue and threaten, but right now he needed the child to help boost his own ranks seeing as how hunters were spotted in the area.

"Alexi, I don't mean any disrespect, but the boy… he grows weak from our feedings. Should we…"

"We will give the boy a few hours reprieve. Allow him some food, some rest, but the others will feed today so that when we're at our peak we'll dispatch the hunters and get ready for the meeting with Azazel." Alexi commanded, knowing that there would be no arguments from any of his kind seeing as how he'd made sure they all were taken care of first. "We do not want to kill him, but there is no need for any of us to starve either. Tonight we will attack and take back our freedom from this insufferable place."

Appreciative silence echoed through the cellar soon to be followed by faint footsteps as his orders were carried out. It would not take long for the others to know about the plan and even less for those who had yet to feed off the boy to make their way to the door to await their turn. They all had waited for the day that they would be allowed to wreck the havoc on the town they had been condemned to stay until a more suitable one was found. By the time the sun rose again, they would be ready to leave the soon to be decimated city of Denver, leaving their own kind of calling card in their wake. After tonight, they would no longer cower at the thought of humans. After this day, they were taking back the night.

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Sammy lay still, barely aware that he was alone in the room. He had no idea how long he'd been there, nor how long he'd last. His only thought though was how he hoped his brother would forgive him for being so weak.

"Sorry Dean," he whispered through dry, cracked lips.

The light was beginning to fade in the room and he wasn't sure if that was because it was actually getting dark or if he was getting closer to leaving his brother behind.

"Shhh, little one." He heard close by, making him uneasy about what was to come. Wasn't there supposed to be a bright light, a soothing presence?

Unsure of who or what was nearby, Sammy tried to move away only to have the being grab tightly onto his arm, pressing him tighter into the mattress. No longer having the strength to fight, he slumped and barely whimpered as he once again felt the sharp teeth piercing his skin before he tumbled once again into the darkness.

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"I'm telling you Theresa, something's wrong with that house!" Marissa whispered harshly as she walked with her friend down the sidewalk. "I've never felt something like that in my life, like… evil lives there."

Scoffing, Theresa shook her head. "You've worked there for what… ten years? And now suddenly it's evil? I knew I shouldn't have invited you over to watch that movie."

"It's not evil… something's in there now. You should go and see for yourself, it's changed, I swear it. No one will even get close to the cellar doors now, it's indescribable…"

"You're just imagining things… that mansion has been there longer than anyone can remember, I'm sure that's all there is – an old house with ghost stories attached. It doesn't help it's a museum now – those things always creep me out with how quiet they are."

Dean listened as long as he dared until they turned and walked out of sight. He suddenly had a feeling that he knew where his Sammy was, and if so… the damn things were going to pay. Checking to see that the coast was clear, he quickly made his way through the back streets and alley's until he was able to enter the apartment through the back entrance. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the large duffle out of the closet and quickly picked out the holy water, a couple of crucifix's and turned to the broom in the corner before breaking the handle to make a makeshift stake. Nodding at his own creativeness, he was about to head out the door when he remembered something very important… his Glock.

"Can't face the baddies without this baby." He said with the smug confidence that only Dean Winchester could get away with before rushing towards the door once more.

'Don't worry Sammy, big brother's on his way.'

It didn't take long for him to get back to street level and on his way once again as if he were just a tourist anxious to see the sights. By the time he got to his destination though he was thrumming with the thrill of a hunt. Although his top priority was to get his little brother out of there, he couldn't help but feel the excitement of being able to let loose on some supernatural bad guys.

Ducking out of sight he made his way to a window and jimmied the old lock to gain entrance into the back part of the museum. Thankful that the building closed early and everyone seemed to be more than willing to go home at their appointed time, he climbed over the window sill and tried to quietly make his way inside, cringing when he landed a bit too hard on the wood floors.

His thoughts drifted to the day that he'd brought Sammy in the attempt to make his brother smile for more than a mere moment. Although it hadn't been a complete success, he'd been able to memorize the floor plan due to Sammy's insistence to see 'everything' before they went back home. The kid was eleven and still was curious about everything.

Taking a deep breath, he grasped the cellar door handle and pulled out the holy water in anticipation. So engrossed in his preparations he was surprised when the door swung open and he was pulled in and over the staircase causing him to land hard on the cellar floor.

Groaning, Dean was wondering just how the hell he'd forgotten that vampires had incredible sense of hearing. Oh yeah, he didn't know because his dad has always said they didn't exist! Stubborn bastard. Looking up he saw not one, not two, but at least ten of these vampire freaks and suddenly he didn't feel as confident as he had when he first came up with this idea. Not one to let something he'd normally hunt get the upper hand he carefully stood and faced his adversaries warily.

"You know, this would normally be the time I'd tell you I'm going to kick your collective asses," Dean sneered, keeping a close eye on each of them and cataloging how many clips he had in his pocket, "but I'm thinking that I'm just going to show you instead."

Amused, Alexi stepped forward. "Really young man, there's no need for such inadequate displays. Why your brother has accepted his fate, possibly it's time you for you do the same."

Dean shook his head and smiled, pulling his Glock out of his waistband with one hand and the holy water from his pocket with the other. Seeing the amusement in the vampires grown, he had a feeling that he came very ill prepared.

"I'm afraid young Dean, those items will do nothing to us. Why don't you be reasonable and…"

The sound of gunfire echoed and amplified in the confined space, horrifying its witnesses, allowing more shots to be let loose before any of the creatures began to react. Dean didn't know if the damn thing was telling the truth or not, but he knew he couldn't stand there and do nothing. He'd managed to empty the first clip before the others moved, and he quickly switched to dowsing the approaching vamps with holy water, horrified at the prospect that the consecrated iron rounds he'd brought was only slowing down the once human creatures, making him wonder what the hell he was really dealing with.

With the holy water not even pausing the advancement, he was beginning to get concerned that he was going to fail his little brother, especially after he had to pick himself off the concrete floor again. 'Damn it, why isn't anything working?' he thought desperately as he managed to once again drive the stake in his attacker's eye to break away. 'What does it take to get rid of these guys?'

"Really Dean… is this any way to behave? You're only wearing yourself out, while we… well, the more you try to act like an animal the more we'll treat you like one. And I for one am in the mood for some very fresh meat." Alexi said as he approached, the bullet wound in his chest still in the process of closing.

Seeing no other way, Dean resigned himself to doing something not only dangerous, but something that would risk everything. Reaching over, he pulled a nearby shelf over and watched the antique lamps shatter, its liquid contents splashing and covering everything in its path.

"Sorry, but I'm not much on being the main course." Dean snarked as he lit his lighter and tossed it into the pool of kerosene on the floor in front of him, watching as the flames spread quickly to the vampires clothing as well as the old dried wooden shelving surrounding the area. Not taking the time to see if his plan was really working, he'd find that out if he didn't make it to his brother, he raced across the room and started flinging open doors and yelling, hoping that Sammy would let him know where he was. It was the second door that made him pause, seeing the small figure on the floor in the corner that made him want to go back and rip each and every one of the vamps apart with his bare hands.

"Oh God… Sammy!" he exclaimed as he rushed to his little brother's side and hesitated, worried about what he'd find when he searched for any life signs. Finding a faint pulse, he led out a harsh breath and closed his eyes in relief, feeling as if he'd just ran a marathon and had finally made it to the finish line. He didn't know exactly what was wrong, but he could guess and it was something that would have to wait until they got back to the apartment. "Ok kiddo relax, big brother's here." He soothed as he wrapped Sammy in a blanket and hoisted him into his arms close to his chest.

Having no idea if the fire would keep the others away, he rushed out the door and towards the outer entrance of the cellar, hoping to get far enough away that they wouldn't be followed. It was his only thought, his only concern as he broke free from the old mansion and into the night, not bothering to see if he was seen, and not caring if he was.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I hope you all enjoy this one... sorry it's not as long as the last one. Take care!!!

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He knew they couldn't go back to the loft, not right now but he couldn't keep Sammy out in the cold any longer. Looking down at his precious bundle he could tell the strain his little brother was under and it didn't set well with him so he continued to run through the streets and back alleyways determined to keep the remaining member of his family safe. Before long he was staring at a door, wondering what the hell he was doing all the while reaching up and knocking as if the limb had a mind of its own.

Gerri opened the door and stood in shock at the sight before her until she got a glimpse of little Sam in Dean's arms. Instantly moving back to allow the brothers inside, she didn't question where they had been only what they needed and if she should call for an ambulance.

"NO! Thanks, but no… I think I can take care of him but… God Gerri, I'm so sorry… they could come here, I wasn't thinking." Dean said, slightly panicked even as he put his brother on the couch and covered him with the throw blanket that was draped along its back.

"Ok, no 911 calls, got it. So, what do you need, how can I help?" she asked as she rushed to the hall closet and gathered up more blankets. Although she didn't get a good look at him, she saw just how pale and frail looking the younger brother was and it terrified her.

Dean looked up only long enough to grab the blanket offered before turning back towards his little brother and tenderly wrapped him up tight in the fresh warm blankets. "Uh… could you make some tea, hot and strong please? Normally the kid's a real junk food junkie but when he doesn't feel good he likes hot tea with lemon and honey – I still have no idea who got him hooked on it."

Smiling, Gerri nodded before rushing into the kitchen and filling up her second hand kettle. "Don't worry Dean; I'm sure he'll grow out of it." She smirked before walking towards the door. "I'll be right back. Mrs. Dennison across the hall makes her own beef stock that she swears wards off colds, flu and – if you believe it – death himself."

Barely paying attention, Dean nodded slightly as he ran his hands over Sammy's arms in the attempt to keep him warm. He didn't know how much the bastards took, but it was obvious from the bites it was a lot. He didn't know what he did wrong in trying to kill the vampires, but he knew that he'd do whatever it took to keep his little brother safe.

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Bobby and Joshua had made it to the old mansion now museum in time to see the firefighters begin to load up their equipment to leave. It wasn't until a shout echoed through the night changed the demeanor of all onlookers when it was announced that bodies had been found which meant that the work wasn't done and the coroner was called in.

"What the hell?" Joshua asked, wondering if they showed up too late and that possibly it was the Winchester brothers that had been found.

"Don't know Josh, but I'll be damned if I'm leaving until I do." Bobby grunted as he settled back into the shadows to watch.

It took several hours for the burnt remains of the building to fully divulge its secrets, allowing the recovery crews to find and retrieve fourteen bodies. The hunters watched and listened closely as the officials worked their preliminary investigations and it wasn't until the last body was loaded into the coroner's vehicles before they left to follow. Neither spoke as they chased after the vans, neither wanted to voice their fears.

An hour after all the 'victims' were unloaded into the county morgue, the head coroner signed his last form to register receipt of those delivered and after a sad shake of his head turned out the lights and walked towards the exit in hopes that he could get a few hours sleep before he would be demanded to return to provide his preliminary findings.

The doctor's footfalls had barely begun to fade before Bobby and Joshua entered the morgue with heavy hearts and prayed that this was a mistake, that their boys weren't in there. Fourteen body bags lay out on tables throughout the room but their main focus were the ones that were male. Singling out the ones furthest from the door they began to open the zipper and look at the person hidden inside.

Letting out a relieved breath, Joshua shook his head before zipping the closure once more. Bobby found the next one and hesitated before he too opened the bag and saw without a doubt someone other than Dean or Sammy. They repeated the process until they came to the final one and both stared at it until they realized how much time had elapsed and that they needed to hurry or run the risk of getting caught. Seeing what looked to be a middle aged man they were about to redo the fastening when Bobby took another glance and cursed, motioning for Joshua to take a closer look.

"You have got to be kidding me." Joshua muttered as he took a closer look. The man before him on the table seemed to be beginning to heal from a gunshot wound right before his eyes which left little doubt as to what they were looking at. "Don't tell me that those boys ended up tangling with…"

"Don't know, but we need to take care of this – now!" Bobby urged as he pulled his machete from his belt loop. They'd come to Denver to hunt for vampires because of a tip he was sure came from Dean, leaving no doubt the boys were close by and possibly even in trouble… there was no way he was going anywhere unprepared.

Dispatching the vampires quickly, the hunters left quickly by the maintenance passageway, hearing the echoes of nearing footfalls as they went.

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Dean continued to watch over Sammy as day three of their ordeal began. Three days of spoon feeding his little brother broth and keeping the nightmares at bay while they basically took over Gerri's living room. At the moment if there was anyone he would have thought about marrying, it would have been her on the sheer principal of how wonderful she'd been throughout this mess if for no other reason.

He'd seen the news reports of how the victims of the fire at the historical mansion had been desecrated at the morgue even before autopsies had been performed and it made him smile to know that Bobby and Joshua had taken care of the problem while at the same time making a mental note – when all else fails… off with their head!

"Dean?" Sammy whispered as he opened his eyes slightly. "Dean… can we go now?"

Surprised, Dean wasn't sure he heard correctly. "What Sammy?"

"Can we go now… I… I don't want to stay here anymore." Sammy stammered, trying to stay awake while talking to his brother.

Shaking his head, Dean wasn't sure what was going on but he knew his little brother didn't need to get upset. "Sammy, when you're able to sit up for more than five minutes we'll see about going back to the loft, ok?"

"No Dean… not loft… want to go… don't want to be here…anymore."

Worried, Dean wasn't sure what to think. His little brother had always liked being in one place for more than a month and now this same little brother was wanting to leave? "Sammy… I don't know. I mean, don't you want to…"

Weakly Sammy shook his head. "Don't like it here no more Dean. Please… can we go?"

Sighing, Dean knew he'd already lost. The only thing he could do was make sure his little brother had as much rest and food as possible before they took off. "Ok Sammy… let me get a few things together and when you're ready, we'll head out, ok?"

"Re…ready now Dean… don't wanna… vamps…please?"

Sighing, Dean nodded resigned, knowing that there wasn't much he could deny his little brother. He could only hope he didn't come to regret this later.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Sorry this took so long in getting updated... hopefully it's back on track. Hope you enjoy it!

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Dean looked at the clock once again and smiled knowing that a certain little brother would be walking through the side door any moment, the routine so… well, routine… that it was a nice comfort – for both of them. Looking out the window he noticed the clear blue sky mirrored on the ocean and took a moment to breathe in the salt air.

Normally they would have been in a dinky apartment in a rundown part of town like they had the past two years, but after saving a little boy from drowning they had the run of a beachfront apartment that the boy's parents used only a couple times a year. It was nice to have a safe place to lay their heads for a change; especially after the fiasco in Denver.

Thinking about that time always put a damper on his mood, and he tried hard not to let it wriggle its way into his head, but when your little brother becomes vamp food… you have a tendency not to forget too easily. The scars had faded quite a bit, but if you knew where to look then they stood out like beacons, making him sick to think about what Sammy had gone through before he got there.

In the two years since Denver they had been to various cities and towns, leaving as soon as they got wind of anything that could possibly be construed as supernatural in nature. Surprisingly it was usually Sammy who would begin packing up their meager belongings, a change Dean wasn't sure he would ever come to accept. Now though, they were in Miami, Florida and there wasn't even a whisper of a haunted house, giving them both a sense of relief that they might actually be able to relax a bit.

"Dean?"

"In here Sammy! So, how'd it go?" Dean asked as he turned to face his little brother. Sammy had been enrolled in home school under the name of Samuel Campbell and today he had to take a benchmark test on site at a local college to make sure he was where he needed to be on his studies.

Sam looked at his brother and shrugged. "Can we not talk about it right now?" he asked, clearly wanting to forget the day even happened. Ignoring Dean, he walked into the living room and plopped heavily onto the white leather couch, ignoring the concerned look on his brother's face.

Seeing his little brother looking more miserable now than he had been in awhile, Dean was determined to find out that happened in the few short hours Sammy had been out of his sight. "Sammy, c'mon kiddo, what's going on?"

"Don't want to talk about it Dean… please, just… just drop it!" Sam pleaded… hoping that for once his big brother would just leave something alone.

Knowing instantly that this was something that needed to be dealt with in the quickest manner possible, Dean gently tackled his brother sideways on the couch and began to tickle the boy until finally Sammy agreed to reveal his secret.

Taking a deep breath, Sam wasn't sure how to go about it, so began at the beginning. "Well you know they have the testing equipment on site, right?" he asked and after seeing the acknowledgement he nodded, "Well, they decided to run the answer sheets through right then and there and…and… Dean, they say I should be in the 10th grade… _at least_!"

Dean sat up and stared at his little brother… his fourteen year old little brother. Sure, he knew the kid was smart, but _damn_!

"That's great kiddo! So, I'm not seeing the problem here." Dean said with a wide grin, hoping to get an answer as to why his little brother was wigging out.

"Dean, what do you think they're going to do when they realize that it's not the 10th grade, but the 11th – that brings its own type of attention… attention we don't _need_!"

Ah… now they were getting somewhere. He had a feeling that his little brother had been holding back and it was actually unnerving how well the kid could hide his intelligence when he thought it was beneficial. Unfortunately it seemed like lately the kid thought it was beneficial every day.

"Sammy, quit worrying. You know as well as I do that home schooled kids are expected to get better scores. I seriously doubt that anyone's going to track us down because you're acing some tests. Now quit worrying and get ready… I have a surprise for you!"

Puzzled, Sam sat up and looked at his brother finally noticing the dress shirt and pants that Dean was wearing.

"You're looking at the new assistant manager at the QuickLube!" Dean announced proudly, hoping that news would bring a smile to his kid brother's face.

Smiling, Sam nodded and raced to his bedroom to quickly change. He knew how much Dean had been hoping for that promotion, that it was something that his brother wanted but wasn't sure he would get because of how young he was… not that the owner knew that Dean was actually seventeen instead of a very young looking twenty year old who had full custody of his kid brother. Shaking his head, Sam wasn't exactly sure what to think about the last two and a half years since Denver and the close call they'd had, he was just thankful that they were still together and learning from their mistakes – mainly, stay out of the supernatural world's path!

Looking around, Sam smiled and enjoyed a moment in his very own room… a room that had a view of the ocean as well as a nice bed with clean sheets. He hadn't known that the little boy he'd helped to pull out of the water was the only child of the area's most connected family. In fact, he hadn't cared about any of that at all and was just as surprised as Dean when the kid's parents offered the apartment to them rent free for a year as long as nothing was broken beyond repair. They'd been there for three months already and now that it was September they had noticed that the beach was becoming more and more theirs, giving them plenty of room to run, play Frisbee or even just lay around and do nothing.

"Sammy… you ready, or do you need more time to primp that girly hair of yours?" Dean called down the hall, leaving Sam no doubt that his big brother was beginning to worry. Not wanting to be the reason why Dean had a panic attack, he smiled and rushed towards the door, anxious to see where they were going tonight.

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_Randolf's_ was a small Italian restaurant that had a French Bistro flair in its atmosphere. People would wait for hours just to sit on the outside patio whether there was rain or shine in the forecast. The owner, not Italian nor French but from a little town in Wisconsin, had come up with the idea in a dream and insisted that it had taken him over five years, not to save up the money, but to convince his wife he hadn't lost his mind. Now though, he had a successful business on the outskirts of downtown Miami and life was good, giving him the opportunity to payback a few favors now and again – like to his cousin Matt who was sending over his newest Assistant Manager who was going to celebrate in style with his kid brother.

"You must be Dean Campbell, welcome to _Randolf's_!" Peter Manning said as he ushered the two young men into his restaurant. "Matt told me to set you two up in style and I've been holding a table on the patio for you. Also, our finest hostess Rita will make sure you have everything you need. Just be sure to let me know how everything was before you leave, ok?"

Dean nodded silently as he and Sammy were led outside to the umbrella covered tables on the patio. His boss had told him that to celebrate his promotion he was going to treat them to dinner, but he hadn't expected this! After sitting down on a rod iron chair he took a moment to look around and noticed how close to the street they actually were, as if to be seen, but not to be bothered if the iron fencing surrounding the area was anything to by.

"Uh, Dean?" Sam asked, unsure about what was going on. "I don't mean to be rude… but, can we afford this place?" he asked, noticing that the items on the menu didn't have prices attached.

"Relax Sammy, Matt told us to come here, that he'd take care of it. Apparently he's the cousin to the owner here and called in a favor. I don't know why he doesn't come here himself, but then again, I didn't ask. How about we just enjoy ourselves for right now?" Dean said softly, trying to convey how much he wanted them to relax and have a good time for a change.

Nodding, Sam tried to smile as he looked back at the menu. He knew that even though their dad had left a little over five grand in the trunk of the Impala before he died, they had had more than a few… _emergencies_ to deal with, quickly dwindling away at it, leaving him worried at times on how they would deal with any true crisis if it came along.

Looking over at his little brother, Dean knew what Sammy was thinking and shook his head – the kid worried too much. Yeah, they'd been dipping into their reserves a bit more than either one of them would like, but they still had plenty to get by if for some reason he couldn't work for awhile. He would never forget the day he got a call from their neighbor in San Antonio saying that Sammy had been helping her around the house and fell from the roof. Thankfully the kid only had a slight concussion and a broken leg, but the time from the call until he was able to see his brother himself had him running all sorts of scenarios through his head, cursing himself for leaving Sammy alone that day even though there had been no way he could have snuck him onto the worksite he was working at the time as a house framer. It was right after paying the ER bill, and getting his little brother back to their little home that he'd promised himself he would make sure he took jobs that wouldn't mind a kid brother stopping in every now and again. So far that promise had been easier to keep than he thought… especially when he pulled out the 'single parent to my kid brother' card.

"Dean!" Sam hissed, trying hard to get his brother's attention before the hostess lost her patience. "What do you want?"

Grinning, Dean looked over at their hostess, Rita, with a suggestive wink, "Sorry Sammy, but your little ears aren't ready to hear about what I'd like."

"Dean…" Sam whined, shielding his face with his menu, refusing to look up until after his brother ordered, and even then he shyly told Rita what he'd have before ducking his head once again.

Laughing, Dean watched his little brother and couldn't help but wonder if maybe the kid had been hatched the way he'd shy away from a pretty woman instead of enjoying the adoring glances that were being shot his way. Not wanting to embarrass Sammy at the moment, he let his normal comments drop and leaned back to enjoy the sight of his little brother taking in everything around him. There were a lot of things he might come to regret, but keeping Sammy away from their old life wasn't one of them. Watching his little brother now, he knew he was doing the right thing and he was determined to keep it that way.

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AN: See... I can write a chapter without a cliffie... shocker - I know! Don't worry... more action and angst to come! :)


	10. Chapter 10

AN: **TISSUE ALERT!!!** Ok, now that I have that out of the way, I hope you all like this chapter and that it was well worth the wait...

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Sam watched his brother actually enjoy a meal for once, instead of inhaling without actually tasting, and it was such a shocking sight that he kept forgetting about his own meal until their hostess would come back to the table to check on them. After the fifth time, Dean looked at his little brother sharply before averting his gaze to the still full plate, getting his point across effectively.

"Sorry Dean, I just can't get used to you actually chewing your food," Sam said quietly as he shook his head and began cutting into his Chicken Parmesan.

Dean knew that his little brother wasn't used to a more 'civilized' big brother, but it wasn't like he didn't know how to behave around other people… their dad was a Marine and had insisted on his boys knowing what manners were. However, even their dad couldn't expect his boys to behave like they were in four star restaurants when they stayed mostly in unknown dives. It had been something that Sammy had never really understood about their dad, the man had pride in everything that he did, including raising his sons.

"Don't sweat it little brother. How about you finish that and I'll get Rita over here in anticipation of dessert," Dean said with a wink, knowing that the blush on little brother's cheeks had more to do with teenage awkwardness than anything serious. Smiling, he was just about to tease Sammy a bit more when the sounds of sirens and the screeching of tires grabbed his attention, causing him to look behind him and down the street. "Sammy…"

The sound of gunfire approaching, as well as the tone from his big brother, made Sam look up and take notice of the speeding cars passing by them, Dean's yell, the spray of something warm and wet on his face and neck, before time slowed to a crawl in time for him to watch his big brother, his best friend, his protector… fall. All the while one disjointed thought played out in his mind like a demented loop, 'Where did the marinara sauce come from?'

* * *

Bobby hated not knowing what the hell was going on. He prided himself in knowing everything there was to know about the supernatural or at least knowing where to look if he came across something that he hadn't experienced yet. That's why he was more than a little ticked off at himself at the moment; he still had no damn clue where his boys were!

The boys had been gone for too damn long and it was wearing him, and the others in their little group, down. Now he was taking a not so politely advised rest in Blue Earth with Jim, Caleb and Joshua. In all honesty, if it wasn't for the fact that he was hoping on some new news about Dean and Sammy, he'd have pretended not to get the message and kept doing what he'd been doing – spinning his wheels in his quest to find them.

He took a quick look over to the passenger seat of his old truck to make sure his new cell phone, the one he currently had all his calls being routed to, was still in its place along with his very own briefcase that he carried around constantly now that housed his guardianship papers of the boys along with his petition for adoption that just needed to have the judge's signature added to make it all official. Of course there was only one little problem with that, they needed the boys to talk to the judge and agree to it. However, without anyone knowing where the two youngest Winchesters were… yeah… it made for some frustrating moments, not to mention worrisome; especially knowing what trouble magnets both boys were.

Pulling into the gravel driveway of the old rectory, Bobby tried to ignore the feeling that those boys, _his boys_, needed him and he was sitting there with his thumb up his ass. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his phone and briefcase, ignored his duffle, and made his way slowly into his friend's home, hoping that _someone_ knew _something_ for once.

* * *

The hospital staff had come and gone once again in hopes of convincing him that he needed to be checked out as well, but Sam wasn't having anything to do with it; his big brother was in emergency surgery to get two slugs out of his chest and repair the damage another one did to his shoulder, there was no way he was leaving until he knew whether or not he was well and truly an orphan.

When the cops showed up, he was sure they were going to want his version of events, and were surprised when they admitted that they already knew what happened because of the dash cams in the cruisers, and their main concern was him. As if he was the one fighting for his life on some steel gurney in a sterile room with something lame like Bach or Handel being played in the background. No, he wasn't who they needed to be thinking about, and he let them know exactly what he thought about them, their whole police force, as well as their mothers for allowing such moronic behavior as a high speed chase in the middle of downtown Miami, knowing that it was most likely going to end in something like this. Sure, the officers took it all in stride and even offered their cards in case he needed anything, but that was the thing… he only needed his brother, and he wasn't sure he had that anymore.

It wasn't until someone from Children's Services came that he began to pull himself out of his fuzzy little world, especially when the woman talked about how he couldn't stay there by himself, that he needed taken care of as well. But it wasn't until she started mentioning temporary placement, family court hearings, and counseling appointments that he slammed back into his body and knew without a doubt that he had no idea what to do. He couldn't be separated from Dean, he just _couldn't_, but he had no idea how to handle the situation. He only knew, that if it were up to Dean, then they wouldn't be separated… no matter what… no matter…

* * *

Jim was determined that for once he and his friends were going to sit down to a decent meal, even if that meant they all were converged in the living room with their plates situated on TV trays while watching the evening news and eating some pretty good fare from the café down the street whose owner was more than happy to oblige catering a small get together of friends. That's how they came about sitting in the darkened room, not talking, barely listening and completely not tasting the food that had been piled on individual plates for each and every one of them.

"… _in national news, tragedy struck Miami today as a young man was gunned down while eating dinner with his brother in celebration of a promotion. This scene at __**Randolf's**__ has been only one of many glimpses of the heartbreak witnesses had to endure as the youngest cradled his brother until the paramedics arrived; even then, it took officers to pry the boy away. What makes this story all the more tragic is that we've been told the brothers only have themselves, their parents deceased, and now… the eldest, fighting for his life."_

The men sat stock still and stared at the screen, not believing what they were seeing. A tourist camera had caught everything, the cars speeding down the road with a passenger firing blindly towards the police car while going around the curve, the bullets slamming into a young man who seemed to be trying to get his little brother out of the way, the shock as the younger boy stared at his injured brother, and the undeniably heart wrenching scene as the youngest of the two scrambled to pull his brother into his arms and refused to let go even after medical help arrived. It was too much to ask for, and too much to witness. For them to have survived this long, and to have Dean get injured in such a way seemed so unfair, each man refused to believe it was their beloved boys, refused to admit what they were seeing wasn't some sort of dark twisted fantasy playing out in front of them.

A muffled sound finally pulled everyone's attention away from the screen and towards Bobby's belongings. It took a moment for everyone to realize it was Bobby's cell phone.

Rushing towards the sound, Bobby had no idea what to expect. It was too much to hope for that they'd hear something now, that right at this moment would be one of the ones they'd all being praying to hear just a word from. Hesitantly, he pressed the answer key, and listened.

"_Un… Uncle Bob… by… I can'… can't do this… please… please help…"_


	11. Chapter 11

AN: I hope you all like this chapter... let me know!

* * *

The hospital was cold, but Sam ignored the goose bumps that were almost painfully standing at attention along his arms. He knew he'd talked to Uncle Bobby, but even now he wasn't sure exactly what was said, only that he got a sense that he wasn't completely alone anymore. More people had come to talk to him, more people trying to convince him to go with them, but he knew that not all of them were doctors or nurses and there was no way he was going to risk being taken away from his brother. As it was, he was allowed in Dean's room in ICU for ten minutes every hour, that was if he didn't find a place to hide until the nurses left… then he could stay as long as he wanted, which was always.

Looking down, he barely registered that he wasn't in his clothes anymore and vaguely remembered a nurse helping him change. He didn't think too much about it, but somewhere deep inside him he thought that if he was really in any normal state of mind he'd have been mortified. Then again, if he was in any normal state of mind, he'd have been able to dress himself all the while telling whoever who kept pestering him to bug off. Now though, he was next to his brother who hadn't yet woken, who wasn't yet able to breathe on his own, and the only thing that kept going through his mind while the constant replay of his brother being shot ran through his mind was, "I should have saved him." The guilt of knowing that his big brother had actually moved just enough to keep him from getting hit too weighed heavily on him and he didn't know what to do besides sit vigil and make sure that nothing like that happened again.

* * *

Annie Parker stood at the doorway and watched as the younger brother sat in his own world, drowning in his self imposed guilt, in his pain. No one blamed the boy for what happened to his brother, no one would ever think the kid was at fault in any way… but there he was, beating himself over something that was just a freakish accident; something out of his control.

Sighing, she turned and made her way back to the nurse's station and to the visitor that was waiting for her. Sure, usually it was the doctor's they wanted to talk to, but Dr. Taylor had deferred all references to her, stating that she'd be able to deal with the situation in a far better manner than he could. Scoffing at the thought that the six foot three two hundred pound man wasn't as formidable at her five foot frame was preposterous, but then again, it wouldn't have been the first time she'd heard that she was scary when mad.

"Nurse Parker, I was told I needed to speak to you about the Campbell case."

"Huh, right to the point," Annie thought with bitterness. Yeah, she knew instantly that this was not going to go well. "Yes, that's what I've been told too. What do you want to know?" she asked, clearly not in the mood to be messed with.

"Simply put, I'm here to take Samuel Campbell into state custody and place him with a foster family until it can be decided what is best for him."

"Ah I see. Then let me simplify it for you. He's staying here where he is under observation. Should that change before his brother awakens, I'll be sure to let you know."

Sighing, the social worker visibly worked at restrained himself from saying anything that could get him reported, he had other clients to deal with and a boss who was determined to make his life a living hell. He'd go back and report that the kid was being treated as well and request documentation as to when he'd be released, then he could get back to work on his other cases. Leaving his card with the nurse and letting her know he'd call daily for an update, he turned quickly and rushed down the hallway; he hated hospitals more than the hovels he had to visit on a daily basis.

"Annie, what the hell are you doing? The Campbell kid isn't under observation."

Turning towards her coworker, Annie smiled, "Of course he is, haven't you seen me look in on him? Therefore, he's under observation. Now, if they can come up with someone other than…" she took a moment to look at the card, "Michael Wilcox, to come and talk to me about him without making it sound like he's just a number, then fine… I'll think about it. Until then, Sam is staying right there next to his brother where he belongs."

Groaning, the other nurse shook her head as she watched Annie walk away. It was no secret why she was taking this case so personal, but _damn_… did she really have to be so obstinate about it?

* * *

Bobby sat in his seat and stared forward as if by sheer mental demand he could make the jetliner fly faster. It felt like years since he'd received Sam's heartbroken plea and if there was any time he'd even consider a deal with the devil, it was now. Dean was down, Sam was hanging on by a thread and he had been over a thousand miles away unable to help in any way. His briefcase was in his lap with all the documentation he needed to keep Sam out of CPS's clutches, but that would only work if he could get there!

"Calm down Bobby, you know we'll be there soon." Caleb said as he watched his friend worry himself even more. Although none of them were taking this well, Bobby was the one who looked like he was about to have a stroke at thirty thousand feet. He knew his words were empty, it would still be another hour of air time, then however long it would take from the airport to the hospital, but it was the only thing he could offer. Jim had made the flight arrangements, getting them all on the next flight to Miami, leaving him and Joshua to deal with Mt. Bobby who was overdue to explode.

Glaring at the younger man, Bobby had to hold himself back from slamming his fist into Caleb's face. "Look, don't bother trying to make me feel better. I've failed those boys enough with dragging my feet in letting them know about the guardianship papers, I'll be damned if I'm going to sit by and let Sam deal with this on his own."

"Damn it, Bobby! Not one of us expects Sammy to deal with this on his own. We're all to blame for not telling Dean what was going on, we all failed them. But now, we have a chance to make it up to them, and we will. We'll be there soon and then no one and nothing is going to separate any of us again – got it?" Caleb demanded, wanting to know if he'd made his point.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it… ya damn idjit," Bobby groused, as he settled back in his seat and prayed his boys were alright.

* * *

Sam sat and continued to watch his brother's chest move up and down with mechanical precision. He'd stopped staring at Dean's face awhile ago; constant disappointment was the only thing he'd gotten when he'd watched his brother's eyes stay motionless for so long.

"I brought your tray Sam," Annie said as she walked into the room. She'd learned quickly to announce herself first and not just 'appear' next to the young man. The other nurses and aides had quickly learned to stay clear of the room, not because the occupant inside was dangerous, but because they knew no one would understand what this small family was going through… besides her, that is.

"Thank you," Sam said quietly, not really conscious of the response he'd given, only aware of each moment that his brother's chest rose once again.

Smiling, Annie walked into the room, set the tray down and quickly took note of the vital signs of her young patient in the bed before turning towards her unofficial patient in the chair. "Ok Sam, I know you don't want to hear it, but you need to eat, otherwise when Dean wakes up, he'll rip me apart for letting you waste away."

Turning his head, Sam was suddenly aware of a woman standing there. He'd seen her before, remembered talking to her a couple times briefly before going back to what was really important – Dean. He watched as the dark haired woman set up the bed tray with a plate and several cups of liquid before suddenly something occurred to him. "You're not making me leave?"

"No Honey, I'm not. I've talked to Dr. Taylor and let him know that unless he wanted more trouble than he could handle, he'd let you stay in here as long as you needed," Annie said softly as she finished setting up the tray and rolled it to him.

Puzzled he looked at her. "I won't cause any trouble," he said almost sadly.

Laughing Annie shook her head. "Oh Sweetie, who said anything about _you_?" she asked with a wink before placing a fork in his hand. "Now, I know you don't feel like eating, but I have it on good authority that the salad tonight isn't that bad. So how about you try it first. The soup is chicken noodle and it's going to need some salt, but the fruit cocktail is usually pretty good. I don't expect you to eat all of it, but you'd better make a decent dent in it this time, ok?"

Nodding, Sam began to work on the salad, even though he was sure he was just eating air. Sighing, he watched as the woman left quietly before turning towards his brother. "Dean, you really need to wake up soon. She's tiny, but I swear, I think she'd scare a demon back to hell if she got pissed enough," he said, vaguely remembering hearing her voice in the hallway dealing with an irate husband of a patient. He hadn't really been paying attention, but he did remember thinking that he didn't really want to ever see the owner of that voice, the voice that had a grown man apologizing profusely for his behavior before rushing away.

Leaning back, he thought about what the doctors had told him. Dean had actually died on the operating table twice before they had finally removed the bullets, re-inflated his lung, and repaired a few nerves to his shoulder. Blood loss was an issue, one they were dealing with, but it was still a concern. And they didn't think he'd be ready to wake up for another couple of days at least. So now it was a waiting game, one that he wasn't sure he could do. He'd sat and waited, willed his brother to wake up for at least a moment just so he knew he was still there, but nothing. Not a twitch. Now he had to believe his brother would wake up soon, with only the barest of complications, because he couldn't think of any other scenario or he would fall apart.

Taking another bite of his salad, he realized it was time to put it to the side and go more for the soup otherwise his stomach would make itself known. He'd managed half of it before he realized that something was going on in the hallway. Something familiar. Annie was upset.

Making his way unsteadily to the door, he peeked out to see the very small Annie standing toe to toe with two men whose cheap suits screamed 'CPS', fighting the cold sweat that was breaking out all over his body. He couldn't let them take him away from Dean. His brother needed him. He needed his brother!

"Look, Ms. Parker, I understand your concern, but you have to understand our position. Samuel Campbell cannot stay here. He needs to be in a supportive environment, not sitting in a dark room with his dying brother…"

"First off _Mister_ Duncan, Dean is _not dying_! Second, Sam is doing just fine where he is. Now if you want to come back at a _decent hour_, we can all discuss this in a more _civilized manner_. However, I will not allow you to barge in here and drag that poor kid off to _who knows where_, just so you can satisfy some higher up's demand at a _quota_!" Annie practically screamed, her temper finally snapping and still holding back from actually going physical on the arrogant ass'…well… _ass_!

Turning towards his subordinate Wilcox, Thomas Duncan understood now why the man refused to deal with the irrational woman. "Look, I've tried to be nice about this. But enough is enough. The Sheriff's department is down the hall waiting for my signal in case you were unreasonable. Now we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way and…"

"NO… I'm not leaving!" Sam yelled from the doorway, his hand already on the door, ready to slam it shut and barricade himself in if he had to. He just wanted to be with his brother, why couldn't they see that?

"Samuel… Sam… we aren't the enemy here. I know several families who would be more than happy to take you in until your brother is… well, until we know more about your brother," Mr. Duncan stated, trying to stay calm, but not doing very well considering the longer they discussed this, the more people were crowding around to witness, and didn't that look wrong; Protective Services dragging a young boy away from his ill brother?

"I called my uncle… he'll be here soon!" Sam pleaded, looking towards Annie, silently begging her to help him. He could see a uniformed man walking towards him and he knew that he was there to take him away from his brother.

"Sam, I'm sorry, but there's no record of an uncle otherwise we'd have called him. Now please, come with us. We'll make sure you're well taken care of," Mr. Duncan coaxed, hoping that this didn't get violent.

Annie blocked Sam from the other men, daring any of them to go through her to get to him. Not too many people knew she had a black belt in several versions of martial arts and she had no problem in using them.

"Please Annie; please don't let them take me." Sam hated how he sounded, actually begging, but he knew that if he was put in the system, he'd never see his brother again and he might as well be dead. _"Please!"_

Tom Duncan had had enough and nodded to the Sheriff as he too moved closer. "I'm sorry Sam, but you aren't in a position to know what's in your best interest, you need to come with me now."

Sam backed into the room, and shut the door, pulling the chair against it to give him enough time to push the extra bed against it and locking the wheels, effectively locking himself inside. He heard Annie's angry shouts, the CPS men's insistence that the Sheriff do something, the ultimate chaos that was ensuing until suddenly something broke through that changed everything, causing him to collapse on the floor in tears.

"_Get the hell away from my boys' room!"_


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Ok, I apparently had a few people in an uproar about what was happening and I'm not a cruel person (uh... normally), so... here we go, hope you all enjoy. Don't forget to let me know! :)

* * *

The plane finally touched down and was in the process of taxiing to the terminal when Bobby sprung out of his seat and was already making his way to the exit before anyone could stop him. Thankfully, Jim and Joshua had informed the flight attendants about their situation so by the time the plane finally stopped, they were the first ones off and racing down the concourse towards the nearest car rental kiosk they could find.

It didn't take long to fill out the rental papers and get the key since Joshua was apparently a member of the company's frequent user program. When questioned, he just shrugged and muttered something about having a life outside of hunting. Letting the subject slide, the hunters got into the SUV and made their way to through the evening traffic towards the hospital that Sammy had managed to stutter out. Although they didn't get much info from the kid, they all knew that they were running out of time.

Bobby stayed quiet during the drive, knowing that if he said anything he'd let loose his frustrations and it wouldn't do any of them any good. Finally though the hospital became visible and he would have felt relief it wasn't for the fact that he still hadn't seen the boys yet, and that was unacceptable.

After finding the closest parking space, all four hunters hurried towards the entrance and scared the receptionist when they all demanded simultaneously, "Dean Campbell!"

It had taken a few precious minutes to get upstairs since the elevators seemed to stop at every floor, but finally they arrived to the fourth floor and were gaining their bearings when they heard a commotion down the hall and knew instinctively that the boy they heard screaming was their Sammy.

They had just turned the corner and saw a Sheriff, two men in suits and a woman who had to be related to the Elf folk as small as she was, standing close to a door that had just closed but not before they all got a glimpse of a mop of hair before it disappeared behind the door.

"_Get the hell away from my boys' room!"_ Bobby demanded as he rushed around the Sheriff and stood next to the woman who looked like she was about to tear into someone. "Mind telling me why I get a call from my terrified nephew insisting that people are trying to take him away from his brother who just got shot?"

Annie had no idea who this man was, but if he was who Sam had mentioned then she had to commend him on his timing. Looking over at Duncan, she could see that he was more than a bit miffed about this turn of events and was just about to say something about it when the door swung open and Sam came flying out nearly knocking the newcomer off his feet.

"Uncle Bobby!" Sam exclaimed, clearly relieved that his call wasn't ignored, that he wasn't alone. "Bobby, please don't let them take me away!"

Shocked at how much Sam had grown, it took Bobby a moment to wrap his arms around the teen and nod. "Don't you worry about it Sam, you're staying with your brother, I promise," he said before he turned towards the two men in suits. "Let me get him settled, then you and me are going to have a little chat."

Ignoring the outraged protests, Bobby steered Sam into the room knowing that Jim, Caleb and Joshua were following. When they got into the room Bobby stopped and looked down at the young man before him. "Damn boy, what have you been eating, Miracle Gro?"

Shaking his head, Sam couldn't say anything, his relief making him mute for the moment.

"Hey kiddo, long time no see," Caleb said as he ruffled Sam's hair, taking in the state the kid was in. He'd seen little Sammy Winchester face off with witches, poltergeists, and even a low level demon or two, but never had he seen the kid so terrified. He wasn't surprised when he didn't get a response, and didn't take offense when the person in question simply walked away and back towards Dean's bedside.

"He's been like that since Dean was brought in," Annie said as she stepped into the room and shut the door. "I hate to rush this reunion, but those guys are getting antsy and they're one step away from making a huge stink, and that's something that Sam really doesn't need right now. So, if you can help these boys out any at all, I might suggest you do it now."

Nodding, Bobby looked once again to Sam as well as the unconscious figure lying on the bed before tightening his hold on his briefcase and leaving the room, knowing that until he had everything straightened out, Sam didn't need hollow assurances.

Annie watched the man leave and turned towards the other three, arching her eyebrow and crossing her arms silently demanding an answer.

"Uh, yeah… I guess you'd like to know who we are, huh?" Caleb began but stopped when she began to look more perturbed.

"It's ok Annie, they're our uncles," Sam said quietly, not even bothering to look up from Dean's face.

Not completely convinced, Annie stood her ground until her pager went off and began cursing under her breath when she saw who it was. "Sam, I'll be back soon. If you need anything, you know what to do, ok?" she said softly before turning a harsh gaze to the hunters, "And you three… try to get him to eat some more. If you accomplish that then I might consider you all alright." Before she made it out the door however, she had one last parting remark, "'Bout damn time you showed up!"

* * *

"I still don't think you understand our position here Mister Singer. Your paperwork is for a Dean and Samuel Winchester not Singer, not Campbell. We cannot just take your word that these boys are the one and the same," Tom Duncan reiterated as if speaking to a small child. He didn't like the idea of someone just appearing out of the blue claiming to be some long lost relative, especially if the paperwork doesn't even check out.

Bobby took another deep breath and tried to remind himself that some people were just born idiotic and those were the ones you needed to pity… not beat the hell out of. "They're mother's maiden name was Campbell, as you can see on both birth certificates. It's not that much of a stretch to say that they changed it for the time being after what they went through. Now, how about we cut the crap and get down to the real issue. You don't like the idea of someone swooping in and saving the day, kind of embarrassing that you might have missed something. Too bad, get over it. Those boys are staying together, I have guardianship of them and as soon as Dean's better we're going home and getting the adoption finalized. Now, you can either accept that, or deal with your supervisors when I get my own team of lawyers involved."

Sitting off to the side, Michael Wilcox sank further into the seat cushions. He knew for a fact that his boss didn't want attorneys involved because that would lead to a huge opening for the news media to get wind of this case and make their department look worse than what they'd already done the past several months. Whereas before they had placed a few children back into at risk homes where later one of them had died, this was the opposite, and weren't their job ultimately to help keep the family unit solid? Taking a chance, he finally spoke, knowing that this was going to be his last case, "Tom, he's right. All the paperwork is there. He's explained how the boys took off, has police reports to show that he followed protocol in trying to find them, the birth certificates as well as the court papers look authentic. I'm sure the only reason why the mother's last name and his don't match is because of a blended family situation… we see it all the time. I'm sorry, but I really think that it would be a nightmare in the making if you actually tried to remove Sam from Mr. Singer's custody – we have no grounds."

Tom sat back and closed his eyes suddenly feeling as if he were able to see clearly for the first time in years. He'd been so used to seeing the worst in any given situation; he'd forgotten what a happy ending looked like. Reaching over to the paperwork, he gave them another look with a different expectation and finally nodded. "Mr. Singer, I must say that I'm glad you're here. So many cases end considerably differently," he said before standing. "May I give you a bit of advice before you return to your nephews? Don't ever let them go. Too many of the wrong type of people are out there just waiting for a chance to take advantage of heartbroken families."

Bobby watched as the two men left the small break room and wondered just how close they'd really been to losing Sammy forever.

* * *

Caleb watched Sammy sit at Dean's bedside and watch each breath of his brother's without so much as a blink. He couldn't get over how much the kid had grown, nor how much Dean had filled out; it was like some sort of weird magician's trick and he honestly didn't like it… not one bit.

"Munchkin there's grown a bit hasn't he?" Joshua whispered as they both continued to watch over the boys they had missed for too many years. Seeing Caleb's nod out of the corner of his eye, Joshua was about to say something else when he noticed Jim making his way towards Sammy's side. "Don't." he said quietly, alerting the pastor that now was not the time to ask questions. Right now wasn't for them, it was for him… and they needed to remember that. When the kid was ready, then they could piece him back together, but for right now, they could wait.

Not liking the idea of waiting until Sammy talked, Jim suddenly stopped. He'd never had to make young Sam talk about anything; he'd always let fly whatever was on his mind. This older version was very tight lipped and he had to wonder if maybe Joshua didn't have a better grasp of what the younger man needed for right now.

It wasn't until Bobby stepped back into the room that Sam finally stirred, but in the process broke the hunters' hearts, "I won't leave my brother, Bobby. I need to be here so he can wake up. He'll wake up because I need him… he won't leave me… he won't."


	13. Chapter 13

The room was quiet, the equipment set at mute to ensure the continued slumber of the youngest occupant. It had taken a very forceful barrage of caring to convince Sam to simply lay his head down two days after the arrival of his uncles, and nature took care of the rest. While the nurse sighed and smiled gently, the men of the room watching with growing concern as realization hit that the youngest Winchester hadn't simply drifted to sleep, but completely and totally passed out onto his brother's bed. Now they continued to watch over both young men, in hopes that soon they all would be able to leave this place and start putting together a new life. The only thing stopping them was the continued wait for Dean to awaken, and no one wanted to voice their concerns while the youngest was close by.

Although pneumonia was still a very real possibility as long as Dean was still unconscious, the doctors' latest concern had more to do with the risk of blood clots, even with the preventative measures they were already taking. No one had to guess that a stroke was the last thing the young man needed, and everyone watched closely as the clock kept pushing the risks closer to reality with each moment he didn't wake.

"I think we need to find a motel or something close. If Sammy doesn't get some real rest soon, he's going to be in the bed next to Dean," Jim said quietly, in the hopes that they could get everything lined out before Sam woke again.

"And what makes you think we're going to convince the kid to leave his brother's side?" Bobby asked, his eyes never leaving the two boys on the other side of the room. Not hearing a response, he looked back at the others and shook his head. "Look, I want him to sleep as much as anyone, but that's not going to happen until Dean knocks off his Sleeping Beauty impersonation and convinces the kid himself. Now, if you idjits want to go and rest up somewhere, be my guest, but I'm going to stay here and make sure that no one bothers them until they're ready to tell the world to shove off themselves."

Smirking, Caleb leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up against the wall, settling himself for another long day of Winchester watching. It might not be the most exciting hobby he's had in awhile, but definitely the most rewarding. He heard Jim and Bobby arguing to themselves about whether or not to forcibly remove Sammy, while Joshua tried to stay out of the way even as he occasionally interjected his opinion on the subject.

The sound of three men quietly arguing camouflaged the slight rustling going on across the room. It took a moment before Caleb tuned into the new sound and followed it back to its origin, back to the bed that held one of the reasons why they all were there, back to a pair of weary eyes slowly blinking into awareness until they lit up at the sight of the sleeping teen at their side.

"Dean! It's good to see you kid, you had us all worried!" Caleb quietly exclaimed as he jumped out of his chair and rushed to the other side of the bed.

"Sammy…" Dean whispered hoarsely, never taking his gaze away from his brother, but not leaving any doubt that he was actually asking about Sammy's condition.

Guiding the cup of water to Dean's lips, Caleb helped him get enough water in him to help sooth his dry throat without drowning. Both fully aware of the audience they had and neither one caring.

"He's fine Dean. From what we can tell you shielded him from getting hit, but the kid hasn't slept since you got here." Bobby said, sharing his concerns with only a look.

Clearing his throat, Dean took a breath before asking, "Eat?"

Now fully chagrined, the four men shook their heads sadly, "Barely. The only time we know he's eaten is when that nurse of yours bullies him into it, and even then it's not much," Jim stated before continuing, "Dean, you have to know that there are some things that have occurred while you've been incapacitated, but we're here and we're going to…"

Dean held up one hand weakly, stopping the priest in mid sentence. He didn't care why they were their, or even how they found out about what happened, he only had one thing on his mind and he was determined to make sure it happened before he slipped into the darkness again. "Sam… hey Sammy, wake up kiddo," he rasped, waiting for his little brother to open his eyes and look at him.

Sam heard someone talking to him and knew he needed to wake up, even if he didn't remember falling asleep in the first place. Opening his eyes, he stared in amazement as his big brother was watching him with a small tired smile on his face. "Dean!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his chair and staring at the sight in front of him. "Dean, you're awake!"

Slightly chuckling, Dean grinned some more before he answered, "That's why they call you the genius of the family Sammy, you've always got the right answers." Before his brother could say anything else however, Dean shook his head. "I'm alright, but you look like road kill. Go home, get some sleep and then you can come back and entertain me properly." Seeing Sammy getting ready to argue, Dean shook his head again. "I mean it Sammy… I can't get anymore sleep if I'm worried about you. A couple of these guys will be here looking after my virtue."

"Yeah right Dean, like you have any virtue left." Sam joked through his tears. His brother was awake! Everything would be okay now. Seeing Dean drifting off again, he nodded, "Ok big brother, I'll go, but only for a little bit, then I'll be right back, ok?" Seeing the relief in Dean's eyes before he drifted back to sleep, he sighed before turning to the others. "So, you guys will make sure he's ok, that no one will bother him?"

"Don't worry Sammy, we've got it handled. Jim and Bobby will stay here and deal with the doctors, me and Joshua will take you to your place and watch you saw logs." Caleb joked even as he reached over the bed and ruffled Sam's hair.

"It's Sam!" Sam said as Annie walked into the room. "He woke up!"

Smiling, Annie nodded, "I'm glad Sam. Now you need to head home for a bit while we run some tests and you get some sleep. Don't argue with me, you know you'll lose," she said as she walked to the bed and began the examination of her patient. "Don't worry; your uncles will be here to make sure I don't do anything foolish."

Feeling like everyone was picking on him and that he was outnumbered, Sam smoothed out his hair and leaned down to his brother. "Love you bro… I'll be back soon, real soon… I promise."

* * *

Joshua was having trouble understanding the directions Sammy… uh… Sam had given. He knew that the cheaper neighborhoods were on the other side of town, but they were heading towards the beaches and he really had to wonder if the kid had some sort of concussion they knew nothing about.

"Hey Sam, are you sure we're going the right way?" Joshua asked, hoping that maybe it was a simple misinterpretation of directions that had them cruising down a street that seemed worth more than anything he could ever afford in his lifetime.

Looking up from his point on the window, Sam studied the area and pointed ahead of them. "Yeah, that's it right there. Just go under the overhang, there's a garage and I can open it with a code."

Caleb and Joshua looked at each other uneasily before shrugging and giving the kid the benefit of the doubt. Before long they were parking the rental inside a garage next to a very expensive Italian sports car. Not knowing what to think, they both stayed silent as they followed Sam up the stairs and into a spacious apartment with a glorious view of the ocean.

"Not to sound rude kiddo, but… how the hell are you guys able to pull this off?" Caleb asked as he looked at the furnishings as well as the view.

Shrugging his shoulders, Sam sat on the couch and looked around. "We were in the right place at the right time. We have another six months or so before we'll need to find someplace else… someplace cheaper – A LOT cheaper. But for right now, its home, you know?"

"Actually Sam, no… we don't know. But for the record, we're glad you two were in a safe place." Joshua said, not missing the depreciating smirk on the teens face.

Before he could say anything else, he watched Sam stand up and walk down the hallway and disappear into a room off to the side. It took a few minutes for him to get concerned and motioned Caleb to follow. When they reached the doorway, they saw Sam lying on the bed clutching a pillow, sobbing into it unaware of their presence. It took both men a few moments to realize that the room they were in was actually Dean's, that Sammy couldn't be separated from his brother even for the couple of hours it would take for a nap. That this person in front of them had reached his breaking point and was finally able to let it show in the only place he knew he was safe; surrounded by his brother.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Sorry for the wait. My g'ma passed and it through me for a loop... then a girl in our neighborhood disappeared (we still haven't found her and it's been two weeks). So, here we are, with a new chapter and I hope you enjoy it. OH... before I forget... for those of you who don't know, my book The Rain Song is available on for immediate purchase/delivery. Take care!!!

* * *

Dean woke and looked around the room, feeling both relieved and peeved that Sammy wasn't there next to him. Sure, he's the one who sent the kid home, but that didn't mean that he didn't want the kid close by so he could watch over him… too much had happened over the last couple of years for that. What was worse, he knew his little brother cried himself to sleep in big brother's bed – now if that didn't break your heart…

"How are you, Dean?" Jim asked quietly, trying not to startle the younger man, but hoping to catch any pain or discomfort early.

"Ok, I guess. So they say I've been here about a week… how about you?"Dean asked, trying to determine if they had been tracked down even after all their efforts to stay hidden.

Smiling, Jim took a chair next to Dean sat, "Not as long as you, my boy. Don't worry, you weren't ferreted out if that's what you're worried about," Jim stated with a smile. "When we got here there was quite the argument going on about where Sammy should be."

Not quite following what the priest was talking about, Dean looked around for some clue. "What do you mean? He belongs with me… who would…" and then full understanding crashed into him, his worst fear staring him in the face. "You didn't let them…"

Jim held up one hand while stilling Dean's arm with the other. "No Dean, Sammy's with Caleb and Joshua right now, you know that – you're the one who sent him home, remember?" Seeing an argument brewing, he leaned back and sighed. "Dean, your brother was terrified that they were going to put him in foster care and called Bobby, which was a good thing since we'd just seen video footage about what had happened. We got here just in time to witness that nurse of yours face off with two CPS and one Sherriff – I have no doubt she would have done them some serious harm if we hadn't shown up."

Dean lay there trying to figure out who the hell Pastor Jim was talking about since the only nurse he'd really seen was a tiny woman who looked like she'd be blown away in a heavy wind.

"Don't let appearances deceive you son. From what we can tell, she did what we should have this whole time – kept you both together and safe.

Dean was just about to respond when another voice joined in, causing him to wonder what else he'd missed.

"'Bout damn time you woke up you stubborn idjit. We need to talk and I have a feeling we've waited too long as it is."

Joshua and Caleb watched with concern as the kid before them picked at his food. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Sammy was more worried about his brother than himself.

"You can stop staring, I'm not going to disappear," Sam said as he forced another bite full into his mouth and tried to convince himself that swallowing wasn't a bad thing.

"Normally we'd agree with you kiddo, but with that disappearing act you and your brother did… I'm sure you can guess why we would think you might," Joshua said as he stood and walked towards the coffee pot. "I have the feeling you haven't been in Miami this whole time."

Sam shook his head while looking down at his plate, "No, we've only been here a couple months or so. I think we've managed to see most of the country though. Denver, L.A., San Antonio, St. Louis… we even stayed in Connecticut a few weeks…"

"Let me guess… until you found a wraith in your backyard, right?" Caleb asked, shaking his head and how they could have been so stupid. "You weren't going to the hunts, but getting the hell away from them as fast as you could, right?"

Hearing the question, Sam suddenly felt ashamed. Their dad had trained them to be hunters, warriors against the darkness and now he saw what the others saw – cowards. "I'm sorry… it was my idea. I… I… didn't want to…"

"Hey… hey kiddo… no, we're not judging you! In fact, now we feel a bit better. We thought you and that gung-ho brother of yours were trying to take on the baddies by yourselves. No kid, you did the right thing. We don't think any less of you for taking off… quite the opposite actually."

"Thanks, Caleb… but you don't have to lie to me… I know how it looks and your right," Sam said sadly as he stood and made his way to his room, leaving two very worried hunters in his wake.

"Ok, so… what just happened?" Caleb asked, getting the distinct feeling that things had just gone from bad… to worse.

Bobby walked to Dean's bedside and shook his head sadly. "Dean, I owe you and your brother an apology," he said sadly, and shook his head to still the question he knew was brewing, "I let you two think that you were by yourselves, and that was wrong. While all of us were trying to figure out a way to hold off the wolves after your daddy passed, I was trying to gain guardianship of you and Sammy but didn't say anything in case it didn't happen. By the time I got the okay, you'd already taken off and we had no idea where to start looking. Now I know that these yahoos would like to take some of the blame, but it's all on me, and I wish I could do it over again so I could make it right, but I can't. So all I can ask now is… do you think that you and that little brother of yours might like to officially become a part of my family… to be my sons?"

Dean stared at the older man in shock, unable to process what he'd just heard. If he was right, then he'd just managed to drag Sammy all over hell's half acre for nothing; the kid could have been in a decent home with tons of books to keep him happy. Then again, they'd have been right back where they started… in the middle of a supernatural feud that began before they were even born, and that was something that he didn't want to think of. Before he had a chance to finish his thought process, the door opened, allowing Annie to walk in with a tray.

"Good, you're still awake. I need you to eat before the doctor comes in and begins his exam," she said as she placed the tray on the bedside desk and began to uncover the dishes. "I know you probably won't finish it, but at least put a better dent in it than your brother, ok?"

Watching the nurse prepare his food for him, Dean couldn't help but wonder if he'd fallen down a rabbit hole. "Uh… you do know I just woke up, right?" he asked, almost positive that patient's just waking up doesn't normally begin eating semi-solid foods for at least a couple of days.

Smiling, Annie nodded, "Yeah, but if you're anything like my brother, you'd have gone through the liquids in record time and demanded something besides air. Besides, when the doc sees that you're able to handle regular food, it'll speed up the process of getting you out of here and back home with Sam."

With the magic word being said, Dean immediately agreed and began eating until he began feeling tired, even then he allowed the nurse to feed him a few more bites before drifting back to sleep, the thought of getting back to Sammy foremost on his mind.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Sorry for the wait... I had to reconstruct 3 months worth of records as well as everything else in RL - ugh! Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll try to update faster. Oh... and if you want... I've started another sequel to Bullet with Butterfly Wings - if you're interested let me know and I'll see about posting it too. Take care!!!

* * *

Caleb and Joshua watched as Sammy walked in front of them towards Dean's room. They had tried everything they could to convince the kid to wait a little longer, but the youngest Winchester wasn't having any of it. Looking at each other they both had to wonder what would be waiting for them.

Sam knew that he was acting like a brat, but all he wanted was his brother. He'd already been away for too long as it was, he wasn't going to stay away any longer, no matter what anyone else wanted. Reaching Dean's room he took a deep breath before entering and smiled at what was waiting for him.

"Hey Sammy… get some sleep?" Dean asked with a lazy grin as he watched his little brother make his way into the room. "Nah, I didn't think so. You know, the whole reason why I sent you home was so you could have a chance at not scaring the little candy strippers around here."

"Its candy stripers Dean… candy _stripers_! Jeez… how many times do I have to tell you that?" Sam asked as he sat on his big brother's bed. It was so good to see Dean awake; so much so he effectively ignored everyone else in the room.

Smiling, Dean nodded and grabbed hold of his brother's arm. "Hey kiddo… something's come up and I think we need to talk about it," he said, knowing that if he didn't bring this up now, then Bobby or someone else would, making things even worse.

Taking their cue, Bobby and the others quickly excused themselves on the pretense of getting coffee and hesitantly left the room, giving the brothers privacy and themselves time to catch up.

Nervous, Sam looked at Dean before he asked, "What's going on? Are you ok? I knew I shouldn't have left…"

"Whoa… hold on there, I'm fine. Where did you get that idea from?" Dean asked as he saw the panic Sammy was putting himself into. "Hey, look at me. I'm fine, ok? It's just… God kiddo… we've been through so much and now I find out that it didn't need to be that way."

Puzzled, Sam watched Dean and tried to understand what he was talking about.

"Sammy… look, if I had known… well, I don't know if it really would have changed anything, but maybe… it would have been nice to be asked, you know?" Dean began, but seeing his brothers confused expression he took a deep breath and tried again. "Sammy, Bobby became our legal guardian after Dad died. I didn't know. Hell, he wasn't sure it was actually going to happen before we took off. Now he's here and… well, he's hoping we'll head back with him and…"

"No!" Sam stated firmly, his eyes going wide while he shook his head in denial. "No, Dean. Please don't… I don't… I mean… I know it's selfish. I know that there are people out there who need us, but… I can't. Please understand… I can't!" Sam cried out before the tension that had built up finally broke and he lay curled up to his brother crying as if his whole world was coming to an end.

"Sammy… hey kiddo… no one said we were going to be hunting. Hell, half the time Bobby doesn't do it either. And I bet if we explained why, he wouldn't mind backing off completely." Hoping for an answer, Dean looked down to find his brother had cried himself to sleep. It wasn't unexpected considering what Bobby and Annie had told him that morning as soon as he woke, his little brother had been on high alert ever since the incident at the restaurant, of course he'd be wound up and about to break. Sighing, he stroked Sammy's hair and tried to think about how to get themselves out of this mess only to be interrupted by the door opening and the hunters making their way back in.

"I hope we're not interrupting," Jim said quietly, immediately noticing Sam sleeping in his brother's arms. He normally would try to dissuade the younger boy from such activities while his brother was so seriously injured, but something told him that Dean would be a force to reckon with if he dared the attempt.

Dean looked at Bobby, knowing that pretty soon he'd be too tired to do this and they needed to take care of this situation one way or another. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but you have to understand something – we don't hunt anymore. We don't even stay in the same town with a hint of one… we learned our lesson and we're not going to forget it. That might disappoint you, but really… I don't give a rat's ass. If you want to help us out, fine… but it's on our terms."

Bobby stood and stared at the young man before him and knew that Dean wasn't joking, but he had no idea what brought this on. "Son, I can't say that I know what this is about, but if you say you're done with hunting… well, that's your choice. However, you can't expect me to do the same just because you don't want to deal with a few…" he stopped short as Dean's arm stretched out enough to pull up Sammy's shirt and was horrified by what he saw. "My God boy, what the hell?"

"Vampires, Bobby. The damn things latched onto him in Denver and wouldn't let go. We've made sure to stay out of the way ever since. So you can do whatever the hell you want, but me and Sammy here are out – understand?"

Looking at the scars on Sammy's body, the hunters all suddenly understood the boy's reluctance to talk about the hunts they walked away from, the towns they moved to in order to get away, anything about their life that might be connected to the supernatural. It all made sense, and they couldn't fault him for it, in fact, they all could understand it more now and wondered how they could fix it.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Again, I'm so sorry for the wait. I'm heading to NYC in the next couple of days for Book Expo America and with it being the busy time of year for our business, you can imagine how my brain doesn't want to do more than necessary. Although I'm not really thrilled with this chapter, I'm hoping you'll accept it as a prelude for the next. Take care... and thanks for bearing with me.

* * *

Doctors were used to being the brunt of jokes, foul tempers and stubborn patients. In fact, most in the profession would say that they have developed a sort of sixth sense as to how to handle patients or family members who are determined to go against the grain. However, every now and again there's one patient that defies all logic – almost what one would consider an Urban Legend amongst the medical profession. Dean Campbell was just such a patient.

Dr. Morgan Lee had been briefed on the situation and couldn't believe that the young man who had been so close to deaths door less than a week ago was now sitting up, demanding his release – against medical advice apparently. Shaking his head, Morgan wasn't sure what to think, so instead decided to use his knowledge and charm to convince this kid that he wasn't going anywhere for quite awhile.

Pushing the door open, he almost ran into Nurse Annie and knew that it was actually him who was going to be dealt with. Ever since her little brother had been killed during a drive by shooting the previous year, she'd been more than a bit difficult to deal with if she felt her patients were being ill treated.

"I suggest you listen to him," Annie said as she shouldered her way past him and continued to the Nurse's station.

Sighing, Morgan shook his head and wondered why everyone thought they had a medical degree before walking into the room and paused at what met him. His patient was fully dressed, sitting on the side of the bed while some other kid was sound asleep on the bed next to him.

"About damn time you got here, Doc. Now, how about you signing those papers and we'll get Sammy here home so he can get some decent rest. No offense, but that bed isn't the most comfortable thing we've slept on, you know?" Dean stated as he continued to rub Sammy's back, silently encouraging his little brother to stay asleep for a little while longer.

Dr. Lee shook his head and looked at the chart again. "Dean, I'm sorry, but there's no possible way I can justify anyone releasing you. Sure, you're sitting up, but for how long. And what happens when the pain meds where off? I'm sorry son, but for your own well being I must insist that…"

"Insist what… that I lay there in that stupid bed while you poke me with more needles every couple of hours? Look, I get it… I got shot, believe me… I know. What you don't get is that my little brother here doesn't do well without me, and even worse in hospitals. You want me to get better? Release me… then I won't have to worry about him, and we all can get on with our lives," Dean said, ignoring the grumblings coming from Bobby and the others. "Oh, and in case you didn't figure it out… it's not a request. I'm leaving today with release papers or AMA… your call."

Groaning, Morgan couldn't figure this kid out and had a feeling that he never really would. However, knowing the liability the hospital faced, there was only one option. "I'm sorry son. If you leave, then it'll have to be against all medical advice. I'll put the papers together for you to sign."

"Yeah, thanks, Doc. You go do that," Dean replied, knowing that Sammy was going to have a fit when he found out.

As the occupants in the room watched the doctor leave, Bobby stood and made his way to the bed. "How'd he take the news?" he asked, concerned that he was the reason why the youngest Winchester was so upset.

"Honestly, I don't know. I think right now we just need to get home and think about it for a little while. No offense Bobby, but we've been on our own for a few years and…"

Bobby held up a hand and shook his head, "You don't have to go explaining to me. If you think your brother there will come around, then the door's always open. I just hope you have a backup plan in case he doesn't."

"Yeah, me too," Dean thought, knowing that Sammy would agree to anything he decided on, but he wasn't going to force the kid into anything… especially if it could do the kid more harm than good.

It was late afternoon before Caleb and Joshua helped Dean into the beach house with Sam following sullenly behind. Everyone knew that the kid was upset, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why.

"Hey kiddo, how's about you call in a pizza order… these guys are buying so make it a good one, ok?" Dean asked, hoping that getting his little brother out of the same room as everyone would help calm the kid down. As it was he was worried a monumental fit was brewing and he just wasn't in the position to deal with it at the moment.

Unsure of what he should do, Sam looked at Dean, then the others before silently agreeing and going into the kitchen to make the call, not bothering to find out if the hunters would really pay for it.

"Ok, look. You all watching him like he's about to disappear is creeping me out, and I can just imagine what it's doing to Sammy – so knock it off. If you have a question, ask… don't just expect him to tell you something he doesn't even know you're wondering," Dean said shortly on his spot on the couch. He wasn't in the mood for people to get in between him and his brother, especially now.

Jim nodded and sat in a chair close to the sofa. "Of course Dean, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we didn't mean to make either of you uncomfortable. It's just… well, he has grown quite a bit since the last time we saw the two of you."

Smirking, Dean grinned, "Yeah, tell me about it. The kid tries not to eat his weight in food, but I think he's either got a hollow leg or a tapeworm."

"Dean, any idea how Sammy's really going to react to the news?" Caleb asked, worried that the youngest of them wasn't going to handle it very well.

"He didn't like it, but not for the reason you think. Bobby, you have to know the kid adores you, it's just what you do… what you all do. He almost didn't make it out of the last real encounter we had, and I have to tell you… he didn't make it out whole," Dean said with as much sincerity as he could considering the way his body was starting to rebel. "He doesn't want to hunt anymore, and I can't blame him. So… unless you have some sort of solution…"

"Dean… what gave you boys the idea that you had to keep hunting? I mean, yeah, it would be nice to have some extra hands around… but honestly kid, I always thought it was damn irresponsible of your daddy to drag you two all over hell's half acre. If you want to just stay at the house and help out around the junk yard that's fine by me," Bobby stated plainly. He was just starting to catch up to the fact that somehow the boys thought that if they were adopted by him, then they'd have to jump right back into hunting… and that didn't sit right with him.

"So we can live with you without having to… you know," Sam asked from the doorway. He hadn't meant to interrupt, but it was something he needed clarified before he and Dean talked again.

Bobby looked at Sammy and shook his head. "Nah kid, you don't. I'm sorry I gave you that impression. That doesn't mean I'm not going to hunt anymore… but you and your brother can stay with me for however long you want, and I'm hoping that'll be a very long while."

Sam stood and thought about it for a moment before looking at Dean. "They said they're running behind so it'll be about forty minutes. I'm going to take a shower."

Watching his little brother disappear first into his room and then the bathroom, Dean sighed before turning towards Bobby and the others again. "Well, that's progress… shower means he's thinking… surfing would have meant he was dealing with his frustrations."

"You mean the kid can surf?" Caleb exclaimed, clearly shocked that the runt he'd once known as the bookworm now seemed to have broadened his horizons.

Laughing, Dean shook his head. "Yeah, I know what you mean… but believe me, when he's pissed, no one can touch him on the board."

Unsure what to do with this new found knowledge; the hunters nodded to themselves and wondered what else they would find out they'd missed these past couple of years and if they would ever get the whole story about what they'd really been through.


	17. Chapter 17

The sound of the shower was barely heard in the apartment, making the hunters wonder if they'd missed something when they heard the bathroom door open.

"Under the sink Sammy," Dean called out before he cocked his head as if listening for something.

"Thanks Dean!" Sam yelled through the now closed door, obviously finding whatever it was he'd been looking for.

Seeing the puzzled looks on the other men, Dean sighed. "Ok look, we might not have much, but when Sammy actually goes out of his way to ask for something, I try to make sure he has it, ok? Look, it's not really any of your business and if you even think about teasing him about it I'll kick all your asses, but he hates the damn scars and we saw an ad for something that's supposed to help with stretch marks. Ok? You satisfied now? I keep my little brother stocked up in a maternity product."

Shocked, the hunters looked at each other before turning their attention back to Dean.

"Does it work?" Bobby asked cautiously, feeling that if he came across too strong then all deals would be off.

Taking a deep breath, Dean nodded. "Yeah, so far it's managed to lighten them a little. It's not cheap, but if it really works then it'll be worth it."

Nodding, the hunters agreed that this was a subject that wouldn't be broached again. If the youngest of them wanted them to know, then he'd tell them himself.

The sound of the bathroom door opening once again brought the attention to the teen making his way down the hallway. Sam paused and looked at each of them before turning towards his brother.

"I thought this was just between us. You promised!" he cried out, ignoring the others protests that it didn't matter.

Dean held out his arms and shook his head. "I'm sorry Sammy, but they needed to know… they needed to know… that they've totally been scammed!"

Both brothers began laughing, causing the others to stare at them in confusion.

"What? Wait… what about?" Caleb stuttered out, trying hard to catch up.

"Dude, you should totally see your face!" Sam laughed as he rushed to the door after hearing the knock announcing their food had arrived.

Looking at Dean, Joshua shook his head. "You think that was funny? We thought…"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you thought. Guess what… you were wrong," Dean said as he settled back against the couch. "Look, we get our laughs when we can, and right now you all are on the receiving end. If you don't like it… there's the door. That's the first good real laugh I've heard from the kid in weeks. He's been so damn tied up in knots, I'm surprised he hasn't snapped in half."

Sam walked into the room with his arms loaded with pizza boxes and cans of soda with a large smile on his face, giving the hunters full view of the Sammy they once knew and loved; cementing their desire to keep him safe, no matter what.

Night was fast approaching, sending some of the occupants of the beach house apartment on edge. While Dean was napping on the couch, the hunters got a glimpse of another side of the youngest Winchester.

Sam decided to take full advantage of his sleeping brother and began doing the chores that usually waited until the last minute, meaning that a full day during the weekend was usually eaten up by doing normal clean up. He wasn't sure exactly why Dean felt the need to leave the laundry undone or the rooms unkempt, but he suspected that maybe it was a way for him to rebel against the way their dad had wanted everything in order at all times. Shaking his head slightly, he quickly loaded the dishwasher and after checking to make sure his brother was still sleeping began to gather the dirty clothes in their rooms before taking them to the washing machine in the garage.

Caleb watched the youngest Winchester move about as if he had a deadline to meet and wondered what exactly had the kid so fired up. Following Sammy into the garage he watched the kid load the machine and hesitate only a moment before he kicked the object once and after starting it, sat in front of it looking dejected. Before he had a chance to ask what was on the kid's mind, Sammy spoke, making the older man feel like he'd just stumbled into a mine field.

"Why couldn't you just stay away? We were fine… I mean, yeah, we got into a bind, but what are you still doing here?" Sam asked, feeling like the world was crashing around him. Finally he shook his head and buried his head under his arms and rested on his knees. "I know… I KNOW, but I can only do so much… it's not like he'd… what am I supposed to do? Since you know everything, what am I supposed to do, Dad? What am I supposed to do?"

Feeling as if he'd been knocked upside the head, Caleb stood stock still wondering if this was another joke. It wasn't until he heard the teen quietly sob; that he realized that this was real and it looked like the rugrat had a few secrets that even big brother didn't know about.

Joshua walked around the perimeter, cringing at the lack of protection that he noticed; if he didn't know better he'd say that the boys had a death wish. Shaking his head, he continued to peruse the area trying to get a feel for the neighborhood. Satisfied that it was quiet, he stopped and took a deep breath trying to keep some of his guilt at bay. Sure, Dean and Sammy seemed alright now, but what had they really been through these last couple of years? He wasn't going to delude himself into thinking that everything had gone smoothly after the vamp incident; in fact he had a feeling that the blood suckers had only been the tip of the iceberg in the trouble department for the Winchester brothers. However, he didn't know how he was going to get either boy to open up to what had occurred, and if he was honest… maybe he didn't want to.

"What's on your mind, Joshua?" Jim asked as he stepped out of the shadows and closer to his friend. He looked up to the night sky, immediately missing the stars he normally could see from his back porch.

Shaking his head sadly Joshua moved his head around in the attempt to loosen his neck muscles. "I don't know… maybe nothing… maybe something. What about you? You're not one to just wander around for no reason."

Jim grinned slightly, sadly. "I can't help but think how badly I messed up this whole situation," Jim stated, tearing his gaze away from the dark night sky and towards the moonlit ocean. "John and I, as well as the rest of you, had means of getting a message to each other without use of normal channels. I should have made sure that the boys knew them as well, maybe then we could have gotten them back without the trouble they seemed to have found."

"You didn't know. Hell, none of us knew what was about to happen. Sure, it would have been nice to know that we could have sent out an 'all clear' for them, but we never thought they would need it," Joshua answered before letting out a derisive snort. "Yeah, and how many times had we told them to be ready for anything, no matter how unlikely the scenario. Some hunters we are."

Not knowing what to say, Jim nodded in mute agreement and continued to stare out at the open water, lost in what could have beens.

Bobby continued to watch over Dean while the others either watched over Sammy or checked out the perimeter. He wasn't sure how he felt at watching the older brother sleep sitting up on the couch while he should in all actuality still be recovering in the hospital, but knew there would be no way of dissuading the kid from staying close to Sammy.

Sighing, he was just about to go into the kitchen to start another pot of coffee when he saw Caleb come from the garage looking like he'd just had just been kicked in the family jewels by a girl scout. Before he had a chance to ask what had happened, the other man spoke, making him wonder what the hell they had to deal with now.

"Bobby… uh… I think we have a problem."


	18. Chapter 18

Bobby looked questioningly at Caleb and was about to ask what had the other man's panties in a twist when got the feeling that this wasn't something to joke about. As he was about to voice his new question, he watched as Caleb suddenly stopped talking as Sammy walked into the room looking as if he'd been wrung out to dry.

"Hey kiddo, you okay?" he asked, sensing that something big happened and he was definitely out of the loop.

Nodding, Sam walked to the fridge and before grabbing anything out of it, he closed the door and walked back out of the room.

"What the hell was that?" Bobby asked as he watched the youngest Winchester make his way to his room and shut the door.

Caleb knew this was going to be hard to hear but it needed to be done. "Bobby, we got a problem. John's haunting the kid and I have a feeling it's been going on for awhile."

"What the hell? Are you stoned Caleb?" Dean asked as he tried to wipe the rest of the sleep from his face. Surely he didn't just hear what he thought he heard.

"I'm sorry Dean, but Sammy… he was in the garage talking; I thought he was talking to me, somehow realized I'd followed him, but he was talking to John… and whatever it was, it didn't sound like a happy father - son bonding moment," Caleb said sadly. He hated breaking the news to Dean like this, but if John wasn't at rest, and worse yet was haunting Sammy, then something needed to be done.

Stunned, both Bobby and Dean stared at the other hunter as if he'd lost his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Dean wondered why he was even considering it, but decided he needed to give the other man the benefit of the doubt. Seeing Pastor Jim and Joshua walk in he grew concerned about what this new scrutiny would do to his brother, but dismissed the idea knowing that Sammy would get a good laugh when he found out what Caleb thought.

"Sammy, can you come here a minute?" he called out, knowing that no matter where his little brother was, he'd always immediately come when he called – another thing that surfaced after Denver.

"What's wrong?" Joshua asked, immediately going on full alert. After seeing no protection on the property he didn't want to take any chances.

Motioning for Joshua to settle down, Bobby's worry grew as he noticed how uncomfortable Caleb was as they waited for Sammy to join them in the living room.

"Yeah Dean, you need something?" Sam asked, hoping that it was something quick because his head was really splitting and all he really wanted to do was go to bed and pray he could find some sort of solution before he lost everything. He was yanked abruptly out of his thoughts when Dean's voice got harsher, making him realize his brother had asked him something… something he really didn't want to answer.

"SAM! I. Said. How. Long. Have. You. Been. Talking. To. Dad!" Dean enunciated each word clearly, making no room for an argument. If Caleb was mistaken then Sammy would get that look of 'what have you been smoking, Dean?' but if not, then…

"What?" Sam asked, looking from his brother to the other hunters before turning back to Dean. His dad wasn't going to like this… their conversations were supposed to be a secret, how had they found out? "How… I mean… what?"

Trying to keep his patience while at the same time trying very hard to ignore the others' protests, Dean motioned for Sammy to join him on the couch. "Sammy, come here," when his brother was settled next to him he pushed his worry to the side, ignoring the distinct trembling he felt from Sammy, "what's going on, huh? I thought we tell each other everything."

"We do!" Sam insisted, knowing exactly what was coming but not knowing how to avoid it.

"Really? 'cause I'm thinking my little brother being haunted by our dead dad is something that should be shared, don't you?" Dean asked, taking only a quick glance up to see the others were watching the exchange with worry. Yeah, he could understand their concern, but right now they needed to figure out what was going on. "So… how long?"

Sighing in resignation, Sam shrugged. "The first time? When I was with the vamps. At least I think so. I was pretty out of it and it could have just been a delusion… but he was there… didn't say anything, just stood there… staring," Sam said quietly, looking down at his hands in his lap, knowing that this was what he'd been dreading for so long. Once they found out everything, he had no doubt he'd lose the only home he'd ever known because there was no way Dean would be able to forgive him for this.

Jim could see the toll that this conversation was already having on the brothers, but they needed to get to the bottom of this. If somehow John had latched onto the boy, they needed to rectify the situation before the deceased hunter escalated to actual harmful acts.

"Sam, has he expressed something to you… something that he hopes you can do for him?" Jim asked, and felt a heavy weight descend upon him when he saw the weary nod coming from the teen. "What does he want, Sam? Hopefully we can give your father the peace he obviously needs."

Dean saw Sammy's eyes close tightly and had a horrible feeling that he wasn't going to like it, that he wasn't going to hear anything that would make him feel thankful to his dad for this twisted family moment. "Go ahead Sammy," he encouraged, hoping he could give his little brother the courage he so obviously needed.

Twisting his fingers in the hem of his shirt, Sam hesitated a moment before tossing out, "Dad wants you to keep hunting, train with Bobby or someone… find Mom's killer."

Surprised, Dean looked at the hunters to gauge their reactions before turning back to Sammy. "Uh, ok… that doesn't sound so bad I guess. Sure, we weren't planning on hunting, but… I mean we were already planning on going to Bobby's anyway, right. Sure we haven't been hunting in awhile, but I know that we can get back into it pretty quickly." He stopped when he noticed his brother shaking his head.

"Not us, Dean… _you_. He wants _you_ hunting," Sam said sadly, not daring to look at anyone, "he wants me to stay at the rectory with Pastor Jim. He wants you to hunt, and me to stay on holy ground where I can be watched… and… and taken care of if it comes down to it."

Puzzled, Jim and Bobby exchanged glances wondering what they were missing. The way it sounded, Dean would carry on the family business and Sammy would have the normal life he'd craved most of his life.

"Uh…Sammy, what do you mean 'taken care of'? That sounds pretty odd for someone basically on vacation," Joshua spoke up, hoping that the chill that was spreading down his spine was just the air conditioner and not something he was going to have to kick John's spectral ass for.

Sensing Dean's intense gaze upon him, Sam knew he had no choice. He began to explain, not feeling the tears already running down his cheeks.

"Dad said that he found out some stuff about me… about what happened to mom. He said that I'm too dangerous to have running around loose and that I needed to be… be locked… locked up someplace safe in case I hurt someone else… before I k-kill s-s-someone else."

"What!" Dean exclaimed, ignoring the yells coming from the others in the room. Right now he needed to concentrate on one thing, "Sammy… hey, hey… come here. Look, I don't know what's going on, but there's no way that was Dad, ok? Dad wouldn't do that to us. And what the hell is this…_whatever_… blaming you for? Who are you supposed to have killed, huh? Sammy, you have trouble killing fish for dinner!"

"Mom, Dean. He said that it was a demon that killed her that night, but it was me he was there for. He said he found out more since he's been dead than the whole time he's been hunting! He wants me to get you to agree to leave me alone… someplace safe so I don't get you killed by the same thing that killed her. But I couldn't do it… I'm sorry… I'm so _damn sorry_, Dean, but I can't! You're the only one who's always there, who's always taken care of me, who's always listened. You've been more of a dad to me than _Dad_ has… and I can't! I'm so sorry… but I can't leave you… _please don't leave!"_

Surprised, Dean sat stock still for only a moment before pulling Sammy into a tight hug. "Never going to happen kiddo. You're stuck with me, no matter what, and there's nothing or no one that's ever going to make me leave you," Dean vowed, looking at each hunter and getting a silent promise of support.

Whatever was going on, they'd find out and deal with it. Each hunter was ready to go toe to toe with any entity to make sure the brothers stayed together, and that meant they'd march John Winchester right back through the ether even if one or all of them had to walk him the whole way personally.

John watched the scene in the other room, anger slowly building at this new turn of events. The brat wasn't supposed to bring the others into this; this was supposed to be handled between the two of them until the time was right and the boys were long separated – their bond all but broken. Now it looked like he was going to have to do this the hard way, no matter the collateral damage.

"You really shouldn't have done that Sammy… you really shouldn't have done that."


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Ok, I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but hopefully this will make up for it. Let me know what you think, and thanks for sticking with me! :)

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The apartment was silent, each occupant either deep in thought or in sleep. Dean hadn't moved since he began his hold on his little brother, content in feeling the even breaths against his chest as Sammy slept the sleep of the exhausted. Although he wasn't sure how he could have missed it, now he understood where a lot of his brother's new found nervousness had come from – not only had the kid been dealing with what had happened a few years ago, but also had a constant reminder whispering in his ear just how close he was to losing everything. It would have been enough for a grown man to break, but his Sammy had been dealing with it by himself and although it saddened him, it made Dean proud at the same time.

Bobby had made it back around the perimeter of the house after outlining sigils in chalk to keep anything else from waltzing in and bothering the kid inside. He wasn't sure whether to be pissed at the youngest Winchester or admire the kid for his spunk, so he decided on both and hoped that his anger would dissipate soon – after all, it wasn't the kid's fault he had naturally stubborn genes. Walking back into the apartment he took note of the brothers on the couch and was thankful that what ire he had felt suddenly disappeared; who could be mad when a sight like that greeted you?

White candles had been lit and placed in every room in hopes of dispelling the spirit that seemed to have bound itself to the boy. None of the hunters wanted to speculate at the moment if it was really John doing the haunting, at the moment their focus was to give Sammy at least a small amount of peace before they tackled the bigger situation; how to get rid of the entity without doing more damage.

The sun was beginning its ascent once again when Dean felt the first stirring, thankful that Sammy was finally starting to come back to the land of the lucid. He'd watched the others take the time to make temporary precautions throughout the night and was thankful that when they handed over the keys there wouldn't be anything damaged or out of place; he owed the family that much at least for allowing them to stay as long as they had.

"Dean?" Sam asked, not fully awake, only knowing that the heartbeat he was feeling under his head was a constant familiar.

"Yeah, Sammy…I'm here. Although, if you think you're awake enough I could really use some help here," Dean said as his bladder was starting to scream for attention.

Hearing those words, Sam immediately bolted up and looked at his brother closely, worried that he'd accidentally hurt Dean in some way. Seeing his brother attempt to get off the couch by himself, Sam immediately knew what was needed and helped Dean up and across the room, not allowing him to falter along the way.

"Can take it from here, dude," Dean smirked at the look of shock on Sammy's face when he shut door; there were just some things you had to do yourself.

"How ya doing Sammy?" Joshua asked as he watched the young teen look as if he didn't know what to do with himself. "Sammy?"

"Huh? Oh… uh… OK?" Sam responded, wondering why everyone looked like they wanted to help instead of what they should be worried about – how to get rid of him without Dean knowing. He'd ran every possible scenario through his head and each one ended the same way – he was something that the world needed to get rid of, end of story. Then again, if that was the end, then why hadn't he done it himself? The answer was simple – Dean. He couldn't leave his brother behind, not until he knew he'd really be alright and now with the others here, maybe the time was truly now.

Jim, Bobby and Caleb watched worriedly as Sammy walked past them and out the main patio door. They would have followed, but Joshua motioned to back off and watch to see what the kid would do. It wasn't long before they saw the teen in a wetsuit carrying a surfboard heading for the beach.

"Damn… I had really hoped this wouldn't happen," Dean groused as he too watched his brother attack the first wave. "Well, grab a cup of coffee; I have a feeling it's going to be awhile."

After helping Dean out to the patio, they all sat and watched as Sammy attacked wave after wave, not allowing a moments rest except the ones Mother Nature gave him in between swells. Bobby placed several bottles of prescription bottles in front of Dean along with a couple slices of toast, silently daring the younger man to argue. As they made sure the eldest brother was taken care of, they also watched the concern grow until finally they were shocked by the question asked with such force they weren't sure how to answer.

"What the hell happened while I was taking a damn leak?" Dean asked; his anger mounting as he watched his brother once again attack a wave without the benefit of a break. "If I knew you'd make it worse, I'd have let him hold my hand!"

Puzzled, the hunters looked at each other and then back out to watch Sammy and finally began to understand the concern.

"We didn't say anything to him, Dean. I did ask how we was doing but then he went off and started that," Joshua said, debating whether to meet the youngest Winchester on the beach and drag him in bodily if need be.

Shaking his head Dean didn't know what to think. On the one hand it was good for Sammy to work out whatever was going through his head, but this… this was insane. It was almost like…

"SAMMY!"

He just needed a little time to himself, that was all. So many people in the house made him feel like he was in a Petri dish and that just made his skin crawl. Now though as he went back out to meet another wave he wondered why it wasn't working; normally by now he'd begin to feel better…have an answer. Maybe that was the point though – he wasn't supposed to have an answer, maybe he was just supposed to give up.

Losing track of time was easy when there was only the ocean on one side and the sky on the other. The first time he'd tried to surf he had felt overwhelmed by the vastness of everything else, but soon he began to realize that he could become a part of it, that it was something special… something not everyone understood.

Finally beginning to feel his muscles tire, he began to turn his thoughts inward. Would Dean be better off doing what their dad wanted? What if all this time he had been selfish in keeping his brother away from something he so obviously loved. Maybe the answer was really in the ocean after all… maybe all he had to do was…

Lost in his thoughts with no true bearing on where he was, he failed to notice how long he had been sitting on his board, staring into nothing until he felt the force of nature hit him and swallow him into its depths.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: I hope you all enjoy this update... don't forget to let me know.

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Caleb saw what was happening and was already up and heading towards the steps before Dean's terrified screams could be heard. He'd been watching the kid and knew something was distracting Sammy to the point that either he was starting to be careless or something else was going on in that freakishly overactive brain. Knowing that most likely Bobby will hold Dean down if need be, he wasn't surprised to hear Jim on the phone calling for assistance and Joshua's booted feet pounding after him.

Watching in horror as his little brother was swept away in the waves, Dean tried to pull himself away from Bobby to go and pull Sammy out of the traitorous ocean himself; however, the older man had a firm grasp on him so he had no choice but to leave the rescue to others. He silently cursed his body, knowing that if he wasn't still recovering, no one would have been able to stop him.

The brightly colored surfboard floated listlessly as the two men rushed past, not bothering to remove their boots; sensing there wasn't time. Swimming towards the area Sammy had been spotted last, they both new that their luck could easily run out – they could see evidence of a riptide close by. Not bothering to check if help had arrived yet, they spread out and dove under an incoming wave. Hindered by the buoyancy of their boots, they weren't able to go far, but what they saw was enough; Sammy was trapped in a manmade reef.

Sirens blared along the beach to answer the call of a kid in trouble. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on the responders especially when they saw the house and one of the occupants; they'd been here before. Steve Jones and his partner Lane Hardy had answered a call several months ago at this same beach house, the only difference looks like one of the rescuers was now in need of rescuing.

Unconcerned about the minute details, they began their entrance into the ocean noting the two men already on the scene apparently alternating positions.

"Sam…my….down…there…trapped!" Caleb tried to yell out while get another lung full of air before descending once again into the depths.

Looking at each other only momentarily both Steve and Lane silently agreed, the long time buried community project just came back to bite everyone on the ass. Quickly joining the two men, they could see the seemingly lifeless form drifting as far as it could before it stopped and drifted the other way, helpless in the power of the undercurrent. Cursing silently, Lane rushed forward while Steve tried to pull the others to the side. They needed to be quick, not only in keeping the rescue breaths going, but to get the kid free.

Several minutes passed as the four men rotated their positions. One would work to free Sammy's leg from the old wreck, that had long been placed off the shore in hopes of building a new coral reef, while the others rotated in keeping an almost constant stream of rescue breaths. Each man knew that it was taking too long, but the tide was getting stronger and reinforcements hadn't arrived yet, so they continued until finally… the piece of iron that had grabbed hold of the teen finally broke away.

Finally breaking the surface, each man was relieved to get back to shore, neither wanting to think about what could be waiting for them once they did.

"Lane?"

"Not sure yet," Steven gasped out as he tried once again to find a pulse on the young man. He remembered this kid, he and his brother pulled out a boy from the same ocean and became reluctant heroes overnight; there was no way he was going to allow this one to give up without a fight. It took another try to finally find a faint pulse, giving Steven the only encouragement he needed. "We got him!"

Smiling, Lane nodded and pulled their kits closer in order to get the boy ready for the paramedics. He didn't know what was taking their back-up so damn long, but he wasn't willing to waste any time.

"Is he going to be okay?" Joshua asked, praying that they didn't arrive just in time for a funeral after all.

Smiling sadly, both Lane and Steven nodded. "Yeah, I think he is. We need to get him to the hospital and let them make the final call, but he's a fighter, no doubt about it."

The constant beeping was annoying and he really wished someone would turn the damn thing off. Who in their right mind would have something like that for an alarm anyways? Dean. Yeah, Dean would be that annoying to get an alarm that would be so obnoxious that it would send him into a bad mood even before the day truly began. The urge to grab hold of the moronic clock and smash it against the wall was too strong to ignore, however, something was wrong… very, very wrong.

Trying to open his eyes was bad enough, but the energy to move an arm just didn't seem to be available. Instead, he was pretty sure he felt a finger or two twitch, but he wasn't sure if that was real or just wishful thinking.

"What's wrong with me?" he thought, wondering what was going on.

"Sammy? Hey Buddy, you waking up?"

Dean sat and watched as a finger twitched again and although relieved that there was some sign that this whole nightmare was actually coming to an end, he wasn't going to take anything for granted – not anymore.

"Sammy, open your eyes," Dean gently commanded. With everything that had happened in the last couple of days, he wasn't about to allow his little brother to drift off from him again.

Sam was sure he'd heard Dean, but it didn't make any sense… wasn't today Sunday?

"Sammy!"

"Uh…wha?" Sam muttered, trying valiantly to open his eyes but there seemed to be something stuck on them. Or not. It took a few tries, but finally light pierced straight to his brain. "Uhnnn…"

Just as quickly as the bright light was there, it was gone with the sound of booted feet hurrying across the room.

"Sorry about that," Dean said as he walked back toward the bed. "You've been out for a few days kiddo, it's going to take a bit to get everything working again."

Looking around, Sam saw that it was actually Caleb who had shut the blinds while Dean looked like he hadn't slept in a week.

"What happened?" Sam asked, looking at the IV in his arm as well as the machinery around the bed. Obviously he was in a hospital, but he couldn't figure out why. It took another circuit around the room before he realized that there were faint markings on the walls and windows, giving him the impression that the room was protected by waxed sigils.

Letting out a slight chuckle, Dean shook his head. "Well, for starters you took ten years off my life when you almost drowned in the damned ocean, then lets end up with you taking another twenty off when you almost drowned in this very room."

Puzzled, Sam looked between his brother and Caleb. "Drowned? Wait… what?" he croaked out before a straw was pressed to his lips and he drank the tepid water thankfully.

"Yes…drowned! You went too far out and managed to get caught in a reef project in the making. Then just when we all thought we could finally breathe… you didn't! The docs called it secondary drowning… something about your lungs trying to get rid of the saltwater by flushing them with fluid. You couldn't breathe… but they somehow brought you back – again!" Dean stated, upset not only that what he said was true, but that he was too exhausted to show his brother just how badly it could have gone.

Caleb moved from the window and walked up to the bed. "Hey kiddo, you gave us all a scare. Deano here hasn't slept since they brought you in a couple of days ago and the docs keep threatening to put him in a bed himself unless he got some rest."

"Uh… huh?" Sam asked, sure that he'd misunderstood. He drowned? Twice? And once was in the hospital? "I don't understand. How…?"

"Me and Joshua kept you going until the rescue team got there, then it was the trauma team here at the hospital. I gotta tell you kid, you keep dying on us, and we're going to have to find a way to bind your spirit to your body until you're old and grey," Caleb said, while placing a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder, trying to give some comfort; he'd seen how watching Sammy fight to stay alive drained Dean of what energy he'd gained. Knowing that there was a conversation that needed taken care of, he squeezed Dean's shoulder. "Hey, you look like you could use some coffee and the others need to know what's going on."

Nodding, Dean knew Caleb was right. "Yeah man, thanks," he said, waiting until Caleb left the room before he turned his attention back to his brother. "We need to talk little brother and I want the truth."


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Ok, so here's a quick update... hopefully the trend will continue. Let me know how you liked it!

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Sam cautiously looked around the room and noticed that they were truly alone, and by the look on his brother's face, he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

"Sammy…" Dean warned slightly. There was no way he was going to let his brother distract him with some minor issue – not right now.

"Sorry Dean…what?" Sam asked, not sure exactly what was going on, just knowing that it had to be bad if his big brother looked like he wanted to knock him upside the head.

Sighing, Dean wasn't sure what to say. On the one hand he was ecstatic that his little brother was still among the living, no question about it. However, if Caleb was right, then this could very well happen again. Well, sans the surfing… the kid wasn't going back into water deeper than the shower stall from now on. "Sammy, do you hate me? Is that it? You want to get away from me that badly?" he asked, trying hard to keep his voice neutral but could hear the strain in his own voice.

"What? NO! God, Dean…what…?" Sam sputtered; unsure what was going on or how to answer. One minute he's waking up in a hospital room with no clue as to what happened, the next he's being accused of hating his brother? "What?"

"So you're telling me that out of all the time you've tackled those waves, you didn't see the one that clobbered you? That you didn't know you were about to get hammered into to the surf even though you were looking at it…without moving a muscle? You really want me to believe that you took that moment to what… think about life, the universe and everything, forgetting that you were really supposed to be thinking about the best way of getting out of Mother Nature's way? Do you really want to tell me that you didn't know that you went so far damned out that it really didn't take four grown guys breathing for you while they worked you loose… that it was what, my imagination?" Dean practically yelled, his fear finally having an outlet and the only place it had to go was the very person he had been terrified of losing. "Can you really sit there and look me straight in the eyes and tell me that you weren't out there on purpose, that you weren't trying to get yourself killed?"

Caleb walked into the cafeteria and straight for the coffee. He knew exactly where the others were, having basically setup a corner to themselves for those times they needed a break. Amazingly they'd managed to drag Dean down there once or twice but only for a few minutes before he was heading back to the room, usually with one of them in tow to make sure he got back safely. Shaking his head Caleb had to wonder how the hell the guy was still standing. They all knew the only reason why he'd been released was because of the AMA forms; otherwise he'd still have been under observation and doctor's care.

"How's he doing?" Bobby asked, grabbing a refill while looking at the younger hunter for any sign that there was news to be shared.

"The kid's awake. Confused, but awake," he stated calmly. He knew that Bobby was having a tough time with everything that was going on, but at the moment none of them knew what to do to help. "Dean's talking to him now."

Nodding, Bobby looked towards the door and wondered if he should go play referee, but wasn't sure he'd be welcome at the moment. Something was going on and it had him on edge. Until he knew what it was, he figured it was best to leave the boys to work it out on their own. Of course that didn't mean he was going to be happy about it.

As he and Caleb made their way to the back corner to join the others, they stayed lost in their own thoughts, hoping that their conclusions were wrong; hoping that the kid they all knew and loved hadn't really tried to kill himself.

Shocked, Sam managed to squeak out a very unintelligent, "Uh…what?" before Mt. Dean well and truly blew.

Standing suddenly, Dean swiped the contents off the small bedside tray. "Is that all you have to say? You try to kill yourself, leave me alone in this God forsaken place, and all you can say is 'uh…what?' _are you freaking kidding me?_ Do you have any idea what the hell I went through watching them go after you time and time again? How about after they pulled you to shore but you weren't breathing on your own? Oh, here's my favorite… how about when we think everything's finally settled down and you start gasping and choking on your own damn bodily fluids and I have to watch them bring you back – AGAIN! Do you hate me? Is that it? You have to if you really think that that answer is good enough."

Stunned, Sam stared at Dean for a moment while his brother's words crashed through his brain over and over. One thing stood out though, his brother thought he hated him. "No Dean… never! I could never hate you. I just thought…"

Dean stopped and looked at Sammy closely. His little brother was hiding something… something more… something that he thought made sense in his own head, but would never fly in with the rest of the world. "What Sammy… you thought what? You know I really thought that we shared everything, but now I find out that you've been terrorized by dad and I know you're hiding something else. Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe I'm the only one sharing here; maybe I've been an idiot all this time and…"

"I thought you'd be better off without me!" Sam blurted, unable to take Dean's self incriminations anymore. Not Dean. Not the one person he'd give up anything and everything for. Not his big brother, his hero.

"What?" Dean stuttered, shocked not by the words, but by the meaning. His little brother had just admitted that he'd tried to… "God Sammy, for such a smart kid you're an idiot!" Dean exclaimed. "Do you really think I'd be happier without you? Is that it? You think that I'd be off living the high life by now if you weren't by my side?" he asked, heartbroken when he saw the truth in Sammy's eyes. "Ah kiddo, you could never be more wrong. You're the reason why I get up of a morning, don't you get that? If it wasn't for you I'd have probably already hustled or hunted myself into an early grave by now."

Sam shook his head. Dean didn't understand. He was always underfoot, another mouth to feed, another body to clothe. Their dad knew the truth; he was just one more thing to worry about.

Seeing the doubt on his brother's face, Dean shook his head and made his way to the bed. Sliding in next to his brother, he pulled Sammy in close. "I love you Sammy…have since Mom and Dad showed you to me the very first time. You've been my baby a lot longer than theirs and I'm never going to let you go."

Not able to take anymore, his emotions too raw and painful to keep to himself any longer, Sam buried his face into his brother's chest and began to cry. He couldn't believe he would get another chance, maybe this time prove that he wasn't a burden, maybe this time…

Dean knew this wasn't over, but it was a start. His Sammy always over thought things, and most of the time it was a good thing, now though… not so much. He knew his brother was having a tougher time dealing with everything that had happened lately, but really thought they were beyond this. Tucking Sammy firmly into his side, he continued to soothe his brother and just as he felt him fall asleep, he had to wonder just why the hell his little brother thought everyone would be better off without him. "Idiot," he fondly muttered, "we're _so_ talking about this when you wake up."


	22. Chapter 22

AN: I'm very sorry this took two weeks to get out. Honestly I've been feeling a bit down and it's been a hard road to boost myself back up...hopefully the length of the chapter will make up for the wait. As usual, let me know what you think, I'm all ears. OH! Before I go... my publisher has accepted "Going to California" for publication - whoo hoo! Don't forget to catch me on my website, facebook and twitter for more updates. :)

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Dean thought about his little brother and hoped the kid wouldn't cave. The doctor had been happy with Sammy's progress and was in the process of signing the release papers when _she_ showed up, Dr. Twyla Travis. Now he was sitting out in the hallway with the others waiting to see if they were going to be able to leave and get back to putting Sammy back together, or if they were all stuck in Miami while the quack… uh…doc decided his little brother wasn't at risk of offing himself.

Sighing, Dean sat down before standing up once again to begin his new fascinating hobby of pacing. "How the hell...?"

"Don't know kid, but from what I've heard, she's done this more than once," Caleb grunted in displeasure. It had been bad enough that they'd gotten the confirmation that Little Bit had thought everyone would be better off without him, but to find out that a shrink had gotten word of Sammy's sure release and was doing everything she could to stop it…well, it was definitely a crappy way of spending the afternoon.

Watching from the side of the doorway, Bobby had to agree with previous arguments; this was something they didn't need. All it would take was one slip up from the kid and they could lose the youngest Winchester.

The door opened causing the hunters to stand to await the doctor's exit before bombarding her with questions; however she was more than willing to cut to the chase.

"I hope you all realize how lucky Sam is; with his current emotional state it's obvious that if this wasn't an attempt on his own life, then it's just one step away. I'm recommending that Sam is held over for seventy – two hours in order to get to the bottom of his self esteem issues," Dr. Travis stated blandly as she continued to make notes, not bothering to look up while addressing the others.

Stunned momentarily the men didn't immediately answer until the woman began to walk off, sending a barrage of questions as well as indignant comments her way until she stopped and addressed them properly.

Annoyed, she turned and looked at each man individually before addressing them as a whole. "I have seen many different cases where overbearing family members contribute to the abuse in the guise of 'caring and loving attention,' and I have no doubt that that is what I am seeing here even though at the moment I can't prove it. So for now, for Sam's wellbeing, I'm putting him on psychiatric hold until I can find the source of the problem and address it appropriately. Now if you'll excuse me."

Caleb was just about to go after her when Jim pulled him back. "We have something else more important to do," Jim said as he followed Dean into Sammy's room.

* * *

Sam lay in the bed, trying hard to get the conversation he'd just had out of his head, but failing miserably – even the doctor knew he was a waste of space and she didn't even know him.

"_Sam, it's a proven fact that if there are no other evidence of suicide attempts, then an attempt of this magnitude is often brought on by extensive abuse…often emotional. You don't have to say anything now; we'll have plenty of time to discuss this in the next couple of days." Seeing the confused look on the young man's face, Dr. Travis nodded, "Yes, I'm going to make sure you stay here with me for the next couple of days… at least. Don't worry though, I'll let you say goodbye to your friends."_

He didn't know what to think except that maybe his brother had really had enough of his issues after all. That was the only reason that he could think of that Dean wouldn't have stayed in the room with him while the doctor talked to him.

"Yeah, just a big, fat problem…that's all I am," he muttered to himself. Although Dr. Travis didn't actually say it, he knew that staying with a psychiatrist for a couple of days in the hospital really meant that he's being committed.

"_From what I've gathered from your brother and friends, you're the youngest of the family," Dr. Travis stated, "It must be tough being such a burden to your brother, always underfoot…never allowing Dean to have his own life."_

Taking a painful breath, Sam looked out the window, ignoring the door when it opened.

Dean rushed through the door and stopped suddenly at the sight of his despondent little brother. Something wasn't meshing and he was determined to figure out what, but at the moment they had other things to worry about – mainly breaking Sammy out before he ended up in the psych ward.

"Ok, little brother, it's time to go," he said as he rushed to the closet and gathered up the clothes that had been hastily put into a personal effects bag. Turning, he forcibly ignored the puzzled look on Sammy's face. "Come on kiddo, chop chop, we gotta move!"

The door opened again, allowing both Jim and Caleb in. "Bobby is arguing with the 'doctor' while Joshua is bringing the rental around; I'd say we have less than ten minutes," Jim stated as he walked up to grasp Dean's elbow and led him to the nearest chair. "Let us get him ready while you rest, Dean."

Caleb didn't like the lost look on the youngest Winchester's face, but purposely ignored it as he caught the clothes and swiftly dressed Sammy and set to pulling the teen to his feet. "Ok squirt, time to go!"

"No…" Sam muttered as he became fully vertical. When he was pulled forward, he pulled back and repeated himself more forcefully, "No, I'm not going!"

The room sat silent for two heartbeats before it erupted.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, 'NO'?" Dean exclaimed as he stood, "Just what the hell type drugs do they have you on?"

"I'm staying here," Sam stated sadly, "maybe then you can have your own life… so I won't drag you down anymore."

Stunned, Dean shook his head a moment to clear what he was sure was faulty hearing. "I'm sorry…what? I thought we cleared this up," he stated, then amended, "you're right, we didn't 'cause we got interrupted… repeatedly!" he growled out before pushing Jim away from him and marched to his brother. "Now you listen to me, you're my little brother and I'd be lost without you. Whatever's going on in that head of yours, you need to shut it the hell up, 'cause I'm not leaving without you and if you're staying to try out their tight white jackets and padded rooms, then brother… you'd better be ready for a cellmate, 'cause I'm right there with you."

Shocked, Sam wasn't sure what to say, but didn't have a chance to come up with anything because he was being dragged from the room by the very people he'd decided to protect in the first place. Realizing he didn't have a choice, he quietly went along as they smoothly left the wing he was staying in and barely caught an elevator before the doors fully closed. Any other day he might have been impressed by the fact they seemed to have pulled off an escape so smoothly. Now though all he could think of was how he'd messed up once again.

The rental was in front of the hospital in the designated "Patient Loading Zone" with Joshua behind the wheel feeling more nervous than the situation should really call for. Something had both him and Bobby on edge and neither one bothered to compare notes, just agreed quickly on a plan, a backup plan and what had to be his absolute favorite the 'oh crap!' plan. Moving the car a little further closer to the front doors he was beginning to worry that something went horribly wrong when he saw Caleb burst out the doors followed closely by the brothers and then Jim.

It took a moment to get everyone settled and with one final look towards the door, Joshua guided the car into traffic and hoped that Bobby would join them at the appointed rendezvous.

Looking in the rearview mirror he saw the depressed teen next to the worried brother and had to wonder what he'd missed while he was orchestrating the getaway. Trying not to think about it at the moment, he continued to concentrate on the route agreed upon and hoped that whatever he'd missed wouldn't mess up the boys too much.

* * *

"Mr. Singer, I understand that family has the tendency to overlook the problems of a loved one. However, it doesn't change the fact that Sammy needs specialized care and…"

"Christo," Bobby muttered as more of a joke, not understanding how anyone who supposedly wanted to help people could be so callous of what the boys had already been through. When he saw the brief flash of black, he was momentarily stunned giving the possessed doctor all the time she needed to react.

Flinging Bobby into the far wall of her office, Dr. Travis walked up to the hunter and sneered coldly, "You just couldn't leave it alone could you old man? That's alright, I have all I need to make sure I get what I want, and what I want is little Sammy Winchester."

Not bothering to secure the man who now lay unconscious on the office floor, she walked over him and made her way to the door, locking it on the way out.

"Maria, I'll be out for the rest of the day. Please reschedule my appointments and hold my calls unless it's an emergency, I need to check on a very troubling situation and I'm not sure how long it will take," Dr. Travis said smoothly as she smiled at her secretary. "Oh, and I've started a project so please make sure no one enters my office. Thank you."

Nodding, Maria watched her boss leave the office and make her way to the elevators.

As Dr. Travis rode the elevator down to Physician's Parking, she smirked at the thoughts the secretary had let loose about her boss. "My, my, my… I don't think she likes you," she stated to the meat suit and enjoyed the feel of the panicked consciousness that was trying to break free. "Oh pipe down. I'll leave as soon as you help me find the Winchester brat. Now tell me doctor… if you were low income white trash running from you…where would you hide?" Smiling at the image that flashed through her mind, she smirked, "Rose Lawn Inn… well, doesn't that sound quaint."

* * *

It took half an hour to get to the motel earlier agreed upon and Joshua couldn't help but wonder what they'd been thinking. Rose Lawn Inn was cheap, out of the way with easy access both in and out, and the proprietor obviously didn't give a rat's ass about who was in which room anymore than anyone else did giving the travelers a sense of anonymity they desired. However… it was a dump. The rose shaped sign hung down and swayed slightly in the breeze, the roof of half the buildings had tarps on them to keep out any rain that might come by and might have worked, if they weren't loosely anchored and flapping around with any stray wind that came along.

"You're kidding me…right?" Dean demanded. Even on their worst days he and Sammy stayed in better places…even if it was the Impala. "No way!"

Sighing, Joshua leaned his head back and had to silently agree – this wasn't the same place he and Bobby had used five years ago, but until Bobby showed up this was where they were going to stay. Of course there was the other option, but he was praying they didn't have to think about that… not right now.

"Come on, we have a couple of hours…might as well get comfortable," Joshua stated as he got out of the car and made his way into the office, hoping that by the time he got back they could move on instead of camp out.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Ok, maybe I'm getting back into my groove... maybe I'm not. I'll let you decide - hope you like it. :)

* * *

Dean watched his little brother sleep and wondered exactly when everything had gone to hell. Sure, it would be easy to blame it on their dad's death, but that wasn't it… that wasn't the moment that Sammy had stopped trusting him with every minute confidence.

"You're thinking too loud, kid," Caleb said amused from the window. He didn't know exactly what the plan was, but he was more than willing to distract Dean from doing something stupid until Joshua came back and shared.

"Bite me," Dean retorted quietly, not really in the mood for the game, but not able to stand the oppressive silence any longer.

"Nah, meat's too tough," laughed the hunter, ignoring the reproachful glare coming from Jim.

Shaking his head, Dean tried to ignore the other man, but was failing miserably. Right now he wanted nothing more than to grab Sammy and run… preferably someplace nice, quiet, clean and cozy. They liked that little town in Oklahoma for the three months they were there…until a group of amateur paranormal investigators arrived and stirred up a huge mess of angst filled spirits who'd been happy resting one moment and risen for a chat the next; yeah, not so good times. Sighing, he looked down and once again wondered just what exactly was going through his little brother's head.

Bobby woke on the floor and silently cursed himself for being ten times the fool. He couldn't remember the last time he'd let his guard down like that and had to wonder if he was getting senile or if this was just a special occasion.

Moaning as he pushed himself to his feet, he glanced at the clock on the wall and cursed; it was almost time for the end of plan A. They had a plan B, it was lame, but better than leaving the boys flapping in the breeze, it was plan C though that concerned him. If it got to that point, he wasn't sure what was going to happen.

Rushing to the door, he paused only a moment to look around the office and shake his head. How he'd missed the faint sulfur smell he wasn't sure, but now wasn't the time for self recriminations. Now he needed to either get to the motel or haul ass to the next leg of the journey, hopefully cutting off anyone or thing that tried to mess with the brothers again.

"Oh my… are you…?"

Smiling, Bobby turned to the receptionist. "Didn't mean to startle you, the doc just wanted me to get some rest. Of course, you might let her know that it didn't work out so well."

Seeing the young woman's shocked agreement, Bobby took off towards the stairs, not bothering with the elevator. He wished he had more time to lay out decoy routes, but he had the feeling that anything he attempted at this point would be futile.

Finally reaching the outer entrance, he glanced at the large clock on the wall and cursed, before jumping into the nearest taxi.

"Airport," he demanded, not bothering to find out if the cabbie had a fare already lined up.

Joshua looked around once again and sighed. He'd been patrolling the perimeter since they'd arrived after asking the others to keep an eye on Dean and Sammy and prepare for anything, knowing he'd have to explain everything when he got back. It hadn't been hard to spot the scout, but it was becoming trickier to determine just how many more there might be. The plan was falling apart and he knew it was just going to get worse. When he and Bobby tossed it together they were expecting to have to dodge authorities for taking a patient out of medical care… not dodge demons at the same time. Rubbing his hand over his face he knew he needed to pull it together because right now they were in some serious trouble if the man he'd just overpowered had help on the way.

Stepping over an unconscious and bleeding man, Joshua didn't bother looking; he already knew the guy was dead; most likely long before they'd ever crossed paths. Now his main concern was to get everyone out of the room without raising suspicion and haul ass to the next leg of the journey. It made him nervous to think they'd be out in the open for that long, but they didn't exactly have a choice in the matter now.

Opening the room door he wasn't surprised to see two handguns and a very pissed off big brother facing him.

"We need to go – now!" he said without any preamble. He'd explain on the road, it would be difficult to hear, but the boys had the right to know what was going on.

Sighing, Dean turned back to Sammy and shook his head; it was like living with Dad all over again and where he used to revel in the lifestyle and following their dad's lead, now he was an adult… one who'd already shown could be more responsible than some of the other adults he knew. Now he just wanted some peace – for himself and for his brother, didn't they deserve that much?

"Dean…" Jim began, but stopped when he saw the determined look on the young man's face. He didn't know exactly what it meant, but he hoped it didn't bode ill for their upcoming travels.

Quietly waking Sammy, Dean knew the others were either watching them, or the windows and that latent hunter instinct instantly stood at attention. Not wanting to worry his groggy brother, he said nothing and instead helped get everyone and everything into the car. Something in the shadows caught his attention as they were pulling out of the parking lot and his blood ran cold; demon smoke.

"Sorry for the rush, but we've got company and not the type Bobby and I were expecting," Joshua said as he maneuvered through traffic and watched his passengers closely. "Bobby knows where we're heading next and knows we're already on our way. What I don't know is if he's already met our little complication."

"Demons," Dean stated quietly, hoping to keep Sammy calm during the conversation; the last thing they needed was a freak out.

Nodding, Joshua agreed. "Yeah, demons. Look, here's the plan. We were to hole up for a couple of hours and Bobby would meet up with us if it was safe. Since he's a no show we can only guess that either he has a tail or was waylaid. Either way, we need to go to the next rendezvous point and hope Bobby makes it, 'cause I have to tell you, I wasn't really prepared for a full on battle with demons, fledglings or otherwise."

Concerned, Dean looked down and saw the raw fear in his little brother's eyes. Yeah, Sammy was terrified and he couldn't really blame the kid. Escaping from hospitals, children's services, and even most cops was a cake walk compared to keeping away from demons that have a set goal in mind. "Don't worry kiddo; everything's going to be fine."

Shakily, Sam nodded. He knew that his brother believed that, he really did, unfortunately he just couldn't believe it himself.

She had been topside for awhile and planned on keeping it that way. When she had got caught up in a hunter's trap, she'd thought that was it; that she'd have to claw her way out of the depths again. Thankfully though she got a reprieve, a Get Out of Hell Free card so to speak, when a midlevel demon helped pull her out of harm's way. Now she does his bidding willing…even… thankfully. Because now she gets the chance to torment offspring of the one and only John Winchester, and she's loving every minute of it.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Ok, I know it's been a very, very, very long time since I've updated. I have a really good excuse... my publisher made me do it! Seriously, they decided that book 2 was too short, so I needed to combine 2 and 3 together... mix that in with real life and an apparently undiagnosed case of ADD... well, you can imagine my lack of focus... uh... right? Ok, so... enough dilly dallying... I hope you like this one, it looks like we're going to start getting some answers pretty soon (for those of you still hanging with me). Enjoy!

* * *

Bobby had never been more thankful to be associated with paranoid hunters than right now. As he walked through the small house, he began taking inventory of any and all supplies needed in case this little layover took more than one night. Noticing that there were still many items that he could use to freshen the now worn sigils as well as ingredients to fix dinner when it was closer to time for the others to arrive, he began to feel better about the agreement to bring the boys to the safe house.

Making his mental notes, he left the house and began his trek to the small corner store in the rundown neighborhood, determined to get everything he needed to make sure the boys were protected as well as had a decent meal in their stomachs. Thinking about food made him worry about Sam all the more, something was really tearing the kid apart and he wasn't completely convinced it was all this new entity's doing. Pulling cash out of his wallet to pay for his items, he knew that his main concern needed to be the here and now, everything else could wait… he hoped.

Focusing on the task at hand, he finished securing the house as well as the perimeter with plenty of time to spare; leaving him too much time to wonder if his friend was really haunting Sam, and if so… why.

* * *

Joshua continued to drive even after all his passengers fell asleep. Although hating the idea of being out in the open for so long, they really didn't have a choice since their next overnight stop was still over six hours away and he really hoped that Bobby beat them there – he had a feeling they were going to need all the help they could get, if for no other reason than to keep Dean from taking Sammy and running.

Looking once again in the rearview mirror, his concern for the youngest Winchester grew. Ever since the kid found out they had demons on their trail he'd gone completely mute, unnerving each and every one of them.

"He'll be fine," Caleb said quietly as he repositioned himself in the seat. "Once we get to Bobby's we'll make sure he feels safe and he'll start talking again."

Puzzled, Joshua looked at the other man and wondered how he could stay so damn calm about everything. "Yeah, well, we still have one major stop to make first, so don't put the rose colored glasses on just yet."

Smirking, Caleb nodded in understanding – anything could happen between now and then and the way their luck had been going lately, he could relate to the worry Joshua was feeling. It didn't help that each of them had been wondering the exact same thing: was it really John haunting Sammy and if so…why?

* * *

Going over the protection sigils and wards once again, Bobby hoped they could avert trouble for at least one measly night. Although the initial plan was to stay in the small two bedroom house until the morning after their arrival, he began to form a new plan; one that would either solve the problem once and for all, or cause even more damage to the already fragile psyche of the boy they were now in the process of protecting.

Thinking of the very real possibility that it really was John tormenting Sam, he began to rethink some of the occurrences of the past, that maybe he shouldn't have been so hasty in excusing the man for his behavior towards his youngest son. Shaking his head, he stopped that line of reasoning and decided to wait until he had solid proof that his now deceased friend was indeed a monster. Right now he'd stay content with fortifying the house so both boys would have someplace safe to lay their heads upon arrival.

* * *

Sam lay still and listened to Caleb and Joshua, knowing that if they found out he was awake they'd stop talking about the plan and their suspicions. He knew they were worried, he also knew he was the cause, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it at the moment. Right now everyone was watching him like he was going to disappear, which wasn't too far off the mark. If he was gone, then Dean would be safe, he'd be able to continue with his life and that's what he wanted for his brother… to start living his life for himself.

No matter how many times they wanted to lie to him, he knew that his dad was right, had always been right, one day he'd get his brother killed – it was only a matter of time.

Feeling movement next to him, he waited until Dean's breathing changed showing he was now awake before he too opened his eyes, feeling satisfaction that he'd been right – the others had stopped talking as soon as they knew he was up and aware.

Dean missed the Impala, the way her seats were just right to lay back in and fall asleep. Now though they were crammed in a rental car of all things and what the manufacture claimed to be comfort, he was willing to relabel as torment. Taking a deep breath, he looked once again at his little brother and wished, not for the first time, he knew what was going through the kid's head. At the last pit stop he'd been so sure Sammy was going to say something, but the moment was interrupted when Jim walked out of the bathroom and insisted they should make sure all their business was taken care of before they hit the road again. Now, with the moment gone, he couldn't help but feel as if time was running out before he lost his brother forever.

"Damn it, Dad – why?" he asked himself, trying to understand exactly what was going on and why Sammy was the obvious target.

* * *

They'd been on the road for hours, each in their own thoughts, before he felt the car slow. He looked out the window and saw the rundown neighborhood they were now driving through and didn't pay too much attention until they turned onto another residential street. Dread crept in though as he saw the small house they were now pulling up to. Not one to take things for granted, he was thankful for the reprieve, even as the unease in his stomach grew.

Sam watched the scenery go by, unsure of where they were going or even what the point really was. Ignoring the concerned looks his brother and Pastor Jim was giving him, he continued to watch the traffic and wonder if any of the people in the other cars were just as useless as he was and if so, how did they live with themselves?

Recognizing the area they were entering, he couldn't help but wonder why they were pulling off the Interstate in Memphis. He remembered being here once, it wasn't a pleasant memory and he wished he could erase it from his brain, but like so many of his memories, it was firmly implanted, tormenting him at the oddest moments.

Feeling the car slow, he paid closer attention to where they were going and when they stopped in front of a small house, his heart took turns beating at an insane tempo and stopping all together before starting the whole process again. What he saw waiting for him didn't make him feel any better about the situation; his dad…standing on the small porch…in front of the door…and he didn't look happy.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Ok, in an effort to make up for the previous long wait...here's another update. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Dean felt his brother suddenly stiffen and was worried the kid's spine was going to snap in half. He couldn't see what had his Sammy so freaked, but then again with everything he'd found out lately, was he really that surprised? Looking at the porch, he hoped for some clue, but when none was forthcoming, he had to trust that whatever it was wouldn't try to interfere until they could get inside.

Turning off the ignition, Joshua took a deep breath and hoped everything was already ready… otherwise they'd have another worry to deal with – where was Bobby and if he was alright. Looking in the backseat he could see the terrified expression on Sammy's face and the concerned one on Dean's and wondered what the hell was going on now.

"Boys?" he asked, hoping that one of them would want to share what was going on now.

Shaking his head, Dean conveyed that although he didn't know either, he wasn't willing to pressure his brother at the moment.

Nodding, Joshua took it at face value and looked at the others, preparing for the questions he was sure was coming. When he saw the others getting prepared to meet whatever was in the house, he knew there was no time like the present. Getting out of the car, he lead the way up the sidewalk, trusting that Caleb and Jim could handle the Winchester boys, he needed to make sure there were no surprises. He had just stepped onto the porch when he felt it… the cold chill and it didn't set well with him.

Sam watched as Joshua stepped through his dad and it filled him will an odd sense of wonder. How could anyone do that… step through someone like that and not notice? Knowing his big brother was now on high alert, even when he should be resting from his injuries, he vowed to not let what he was seeing bother him. It was just another day, another town, another house… it didn't matter that they were closing in on his tormentor, it didn't matter that he too was about to walk through the very person he feared the most… it was going to be alright because even though he knew his brother and the others would be better off without him, he wasn't ready to be taken out by anyone else's terms but his own. Taking a deep breath, he defiantly walked through the specter and pointedly ignored the anger and hatred he felt there, instead he concentrated on his brother's concern for him and how much it was returned.

As they flanked the brothers, both Caleb and Jim glanced at each and shared the same concern; something was definitely wrong. They had both stepped onto the porch and even if they hadn't noticed the change in the youngest Winchester, they would have noticed the severe drop in temperature as they stepped closer to the door. Something was there, something Sammy could see, something that definitely wanted to see the kid hurt.

* * *

Bobby had a decent sized stew simmering on the stove when he heard the car pull up in front of the house. He didn't need to check the wards again, he'd done that too many times as it was, but he was going to make sure everyone was safe coming up the sidewalk. Taking the sawed off shotgun he'd found in the armament locker, he made his way into the living room and watched the hunters escort the brothers closer to the house. He didn't miss the change in Sam, or the acknowledgment amongst the other hunters, which left him with the conclusion that they might have been wrong in picking this house if for no other reason than John had known its location before he died.

Cursing himself for being ten times the fool, he flung open the door and began ushering everyone inside before slamming the door and placing the last bit of protection in place. Taking a chance, he looked at Sam and saw the same resigned stare as they'd witnessed in the hospital, telling him that the entity hadn't broken through the defenses.

"'bout damn time you got here," he groused, not willing to give into his need to give the boys a bear hug just yet. No, right now he needed to make sure they all were on the same page before he indulged himself.

Smirking, Caleb motioned to Joshua. "Blame grandpa here, he's the one who actually obeyed the traffic laws."

"Shuddup. If it were up to you, we'd have the highway patrol from three different states on our asses," Joshua responded as he made his way to the kitchen, hoping to grab a beer before the questions really started.

Shaking his head, Jim stayed silent while listening to the banter, knowing that it was just a way to alleviate the tension they all felt. Although he'd have liked to say that they were all safe and sound now, he couldn't ignore what he felt right outside the door and wonder just how they were going to deal with it.

"You know… you guys really suck at the distraction department," Dean said, as he guided his little brother to the worn sofa in the middle of the room and proceeded to get as comfortable as they could. He had no delusions that something had just happened right outside, but with Sammy not talking, he wouldn't be able to get a confirmation on what it was. "How about we get down to what's really going on and what the real plan is. 'Cause I don't know about Sammy here, but I'm really getting tired of being left in the dark."

Nodding, Bobby put the shotgun by the door and walked further into the room. "The shrink lady was possessed; I didn't see the signs until it was too late and I was picking myself off the floor. Since I already knew you all would be on the road, I caught the first flight out of Miami and got here in enough time to make sure the place was secure. Although, by Sam's reaction, I'm wondering if it's secure enough. Am I right, boy?" he asked as he looked at Sam.

Feeling the pressure of everyone's attention on him, Sam really wanted to find a rock to crawl under and hide. Knowing that wasn't an option though, he settled for nodding his head while looking at the hands in his lap. He didn't know why they kept insisting on watching over him, but he knew he just needed to hold out a little longer… eventually they'd grow tired of watching his every move and then…

"Hey… where'd you go?" Dean asked, shaking his brother slightly. It was unnerving how quickly Sammy would do that now, just space out with no warning or sign as to where he'd gone. "We need to know if it's dad or something else. So how's about you ease up on the Lassie routine and let us know what we're dealing with."

Startled, Sam looked at his brother before turning his attention on the hunters. Knowing that it didn't matter what he did, he whispered, "Dad," before turning his attention back to the fascinating sport of lap watching.

Groaning, both Caleb and Joshua watched as the teenager before them slid back within himself and they couldn't help but wonder about it. They missed the inquisitive kid that was quick with a smile and hoped they could get that version back soon… this one was depressing to watch.

"Alright, now that that's settled, let's focus on how we can find out what John wants and see about getting him to move on, shall we?" Jim asked, hoping that they could help their friend while at the same time save the boy in front of them; anything else could wait.

Silently agreeing, Bobby took a deep breath, knowing that he was about to become very unpopular. "I think we should let him in."

* * *

John's form watched the occupants of the house closely. He had the opportunity for revenge right there on the porch, but chose to wait. He could tell that Sammy was just about to the end of his rope and all it would take was another tiny shove and the kid would do all the work himself. He couldn't wait to see the light fade from the boy's eyes, even as the realization of who truly did it to him simultaneously dawned.

Feeling a presence close by, he turned and looked in the distance. He knew a demon was there, he just couldn't… there! Smiling, he faded more into the background and watched with growing interest as the female form made its way closer until she too was watching the house. Normally he didn't like competition, but for now he'd accept it as a worthy challenge; which of them would bring the Winchesters fully to their knees?


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Okay, since everyones been so supportive of the story, this chapter is a bit longer than what they have been. We're winding down now and I'm working on the Epilogue now, so hopefully it'll be ready tomorrow. I'm really hoping I did justice to this chapter and even more that you like it. OH... but I've been advised that I might need to issue a **Tissue Alert!**

* * *

The silence in the room was deafening, no one dared to react in case Bobby decided to tell them it was a joke. When no such assurance occurred however, it was Caleb that finally jumped in and spoke for all of them.

"Like hell!" he yelled, not believing what he'd just heard. After everything they'd gathered about what had been going on between Sammy and John's spirit, and Bobby just wanted to let the entity waltz in invited? It was nuts!

"Yeah? Well you got any other brilliant ideas? 'cause I have to tell you, right now the kid looks like hell and I have to wonder just how much he's got in him before he does something stupid!" Bobby insisted. He hated being put in this position, but right now he really needed to end this for everyone involved. He knew that if something happened to Sam, then Dean wouldn't survive it.

Dean watched his brother and knew that Bobby was right; Sammy was plotting something, something he wasn't going to like.

"Ok, so let's say we do let him in, then what?" he asked, hoping to get some answers before he agreed to anything… this was his little brother they were talking about.

Rubbing his face, Joshua knew what Bobby was getting at, but it still didn't help the unease building within him. It was one thing to fend off an irate spirit, a whole other issue to try and corral it.

"I think we have enough stuff around here that we can bind him until we get the answers we need; then hopefully we can send him on," Bobby stated, trying to keep his mannerisms calm even though he understood wholeheartedly the dilemma they were putting themselves in.

The sudden explosion of protests and arguments wasn't a surprise but it was the one word muttered so softly that if it had been anyone else, the hunters wouldn't have caught it that stopped everything in its tracks.

"Ok," Sam said softly, not bothering to see if anyone heard. He agreed, it was time to see exactly what his dad really wanted and just how far he was willing to take it.

The hunters stopped their arguments and stared at the youngest of them with a mixture of shock and horror. None of them had really thought to ask him his opinion even though he was the one with the most to either lose or gain. Seeing the toll the discussion was having, they all took a deep breath and moved back until they could seat themselves close to the sofa.

"Sammy, do you have any idea what could happen if the binding doesn't hold?" Caleb asked, truly concerned for the young man in front of him. Not every binding was successful, and those that weren't usually ended up with an even more pissed off vengeful spirit.

Nodding, Sam agreed… he knew exactly what could happen, and in fact, he was starting to hope that was the case; at least then it would be over.

"I don't know Sammy," Dean cautioned, "I think we need to wait about this. Maybe once we're sure that it'll work then we can try it."

Sam turned pained eyes to his big brother and smiled sadly, "He's right there, outside the window staring at us… at me like he wants nothing else but to rip through the walls. We can't stay here forever Dean, and then what… do you really think he's going to let us walk past again… let me? He's going to find us no matter where we go, no matter what we do. I just want it to end… if he wants me, fine. I'd rather deal with it than keep hiding, don't you?"

Stunned, the hunters looked at each other before turning to Dean and waited for his answer. Seeing the war going on within the younger man, their heart went out to him, knowing that this was a tough decision, but one he needed to make himself.

"Sammy, I don't want you thinking that you have to do this for us. We can deal with whatever comes along. If you want to try what Bobby's suggesting, fine, but only if you want to for yourself and not what you think we want, ok?" Dean said softly, pulling his little brother closer to him. He didn't know exactly what was going through his Sammy's head, but he did know one thing… if his brother was planning something, then more than likely he really wasn't going to like it.

Nodding, Sam agreed and looked at Bobby. "Do you think we can do it now? I mean… there's no need to wait, right?"

Feeling torn, Bobby now wished he'd kept his damn mouth shut, but slowly nodded. They could do this and hopefully bring peace to the boy before him, or they could sit back and watch him self destruct slowly. "Yeah son, we can do it now. Give me a few minutes to get the stuff ready."

Seeing his chance to make things right, Sam smiled slightly then held onto Dean, hugging him close, saying silently all the things he couldn't say before… saying goodbye.

* * *

Something was going on inside and he didn't like it. The items Bobby were gathering looked vaguely familiar, but not necessarily familiar to him. Feeling the unease grow within him, he attempted to push it down, not ready to allow the other part of himself loose just yet… not when he was so close to his goal.

Movement to the side of the property interrupted his musings, turning his attention to the demon who was now watching him with a malicious gleam in her dark eyes. He didn't have a chance however to think about her further as suddenly he felt an insistent pull of a summons, one he could not ignore.

His final look at the demon showed her moving closer with a near maniacal expectant look on her face until finally, he was no longer on the outside, but the inside… with his target within reach!

* * *

Although Bobby normally didn't like dabbling into this type of ritual magic, he wasn't opposed to it when the need arose; and right now, the need was strong to fix this for Sam. The sooner they got John to move on, the better off everyone would be.

The final ingredient was added, the last syllable uttered and all was quiet in the small room. Looking around, he saw the unease build in the others and he was just about to tell them all to give it time when the draft in the house grew and substance began to form and build within the circle Bobby had created specifically to contain John's spirit.

Sam stood next to his brother and hoped that one day Dean could forgive him, but he knew what he had to do…what needed to be done. He watched as the form took shape and waited like a coiled spring… waited for his chance…

Something was going on with his brother, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what. Watching Sammy tense once again, Dean wondered how he was going to fix this one; this wasn't something they could just move away from in order to get out of its way… this was something that would follow no matter what.

Both Caleb and Jim moved closer to the Winchester boys while Joshua stepped to the other side of Bobby, if there was trouble, they wanted to be ready. Seeing their friend standing before them did nothing to calm their nerves, especially when they saw the sneer forming on his face when he looked at Sammy. They all were prepared to fill him with rock salt when the unexpected happened… Sammy dove for John and latched on to the now howling form. Taken by surprise, no one moved until they noticed not one spiritual form… but two, both now fighting for the better hold on the youngest Winchester.

John watched in horror as he realized what was about to happen. His baby boy, his Sammy, was about to sacrifice himself to what he thought was the person who'd been so intent on doing him harm. It was a painful realization, but one that he needed to give him the extra strength to fight the binding that Gerald Tibbons had hit him with just before death. As soon as he felt his son's arms wrap around him, he used the distraction to push Gerald's intrusion away and make his move to save Sammy.

The grappling match wasn't an even one considering John was actually contained in the safe circle while Gerald's spirit was allowed to roam free, but he tightened his hold on his son while looking over his shoulder and yelling, "Bobby, take the bastard out, damn it!" spurring the other hunters out of their shock and into action.

As he watched the others blast Gerald's form with salt and consecrated iron rounds, John held his Sammy close as they both collapsed to the floor. He knew that the struggle took a lot out of his son, but he also knew that this was the only way he could fix what had been broken so long ago.

"Dad?" Dean asked, shocked to see the man before him, "What the hell?"

Smiling, John nodded before turning his attention back to Sammy. "It was a setup. I thought I checked every angle, but I missed one… a big one. Gerald's son had been caught in the crossfire between a vengeful spirit and a hunter's shotgun… mine. I didn't make the connection until we were both dying in a ditch with no back up in sight, and by that time it was already too late… he was laying a heavy binding spell on me that would keep us tied together until he got his revenge. Unfortunately, he made sure he had enough wiggle room to keep me dormant most of the time, leaving him to do the damage he's obviously done."

Horrified at the thought that one hunter would be so willing to do that to another, the occupants in the room were surprised by the return visit of Gerald, determined to finish what he'd started.

"I'm not done with him yet, John. You took my boy from me… it's only right that I do the same to you!" Gerald screamed as he launched himself towards Sam before coming to a complete stop in midair.

"I don't think so."

Looking towards the door the men saw a lone woman standing outside the doorway with her arm stretched out and a large smile on her lips.

"My boss wants a word with you, Mr. Tibbons… and what he wants, he gets," she said with a smirk and a flick of her hand, sending the spirit of Gerald Tibbons scattering to the four winds. "Don't bother thanking me… I didn't do it for you… I did it for dear sweet Sammy here. Can't have the kid die before his time, now can we?" she smirked, sending cold chills running down the hunters spines. "You know, John… I was really looking forward to meeting you… up close… and personal," she said while licking her lips and grinning, "but I guess I'll just have to take what I can get with second place, huh?" She looked between Dean and Sam, conveying how much she couldn't wait to begin her games with them.

Infuriated, John was wishing he was truly corporeal so he could send the bitch back to where she came from.

Looking at the deceased hunter, the woman smiled broadly. "Oh don't be that way. Plans change. Right now you should be groveling in gratitude for the reprieve. But don't get too mushy… if you knew what was really in store… well, let's just say, Sammy there might have had the right idea," she said before turning away from the door laughing. It might not have turned out the way she'd planned, but she had been assured that what was coming would be far more painful for the eldest Winchester than anything she could ever cook up. Content in that knowledge, she continued down the street to find some truly poor soul she could tease before her time was up and she'd return for her rewards.

Watching the woman leave without even attempting to toss one of them into a bookcase caused the hunters to wonder what the hell was going on and if maybe one of them was out on some sort of demented bender making this moment a truly twisted delusion.

"Dad?" Sam called out quietly, waiting for his unasked question to be answered before he decided what he should do next.

Smiling sadly, John had so much to say, but his time as well as energy was running out. Looking at Dean, he could see the understanding in his eldest son's eyes and the approval on his face. Turning his attention back to his youngest son, he tried to convey everything he wanted, everything he felt into his next words, "Goodnight, Sammy."

Feeling himself tear up, Sam looked at his dad and saw everything he'd hoped for… love, understanding, forgiveness and knew without a doubt that these past several years he'd been so very wrong. Smiling, he said with an open heart in the hopes of sharing everything he needed to, "Goodnight, Dad."


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Ok, first off... I want to thank everyone for their continued support, not only for this story, but my writing in general... it means a lot! I know you all were probably expecting a short little epilogue... but it had a mind of it's own. Honestly, I don't feel like I do epilogues very well, so I'm hoping I didn't screw this one up. Hope you enjoy and thanks again! :)

* * *

The rhythmic sound of small wheels rolling on wood before a pause and then a thud repeating in frequency filled the salvage yard and broke the silence of the late spring afternoon, the lone occupant far too lost in his own thoughts to notice anything else around him. Phone calls were left unanswered, the small stack of mail left unattended and the ingredients for dinner stayed lined up on the counter waiting to see if they'd be used at all.

"Damn it, looks like a rough day," Dean told Bobby as they got out of the truck and watched as Sammy once again did a full flip at the top of his half pipe and landed with catlike grace to do it once again on the other side.

Nodding, Bobby could only agree. It wasn't often when the boy would decide to get some marathon usage out of his skateboard, but when he did… it showed. When the boys first moved in, it had taken weeks of worrying where the kid wandered off to before either of them fully understood that half the time the kid didn't understand himself what had him so tied up in knots; that's when Dean came up with the idea of skateboarding. It wasn't the same as surfing, but it managed to keep Sammy close by while he worked out his frustrations enough to be able to share with them.

Dean rubbed his face with his hand and leaned back against the truck. "You don't think it's those kids on the football team again, do you?" he asked, worried that they'd missed the signs of trouble brewing.

"Nah. Kid said they've been leaving him alone since he started tutoring Steve. Let him work it out, he'll let us know when he's ready."

Not liking it, but silently agreeing, Dean nodded and watched another minute before walking into the house, hoping it had nothing to do with Mindy… he liked what the girl had done for Sammy. He'd just stepped to the porch when he saw the very person he was thinking of on her bike heading his direction. Smiling, he watched as she paused only long enough to see how engrossed Sammy was before making her way towards him again. At fifteen, Mindy was short, wore braces and outdated eyeglasses, with stick straight brown hair that was always in a tangled pony tail, but she was the sweetest kid he'd ever met and made his little brother smile each and every time he saw her… a huge accomplishment some days.

"Mindy, what's up?" he called out, hoping that she could pull Sammy out of his funk.

Smiling shyly, Mindy looked up at Sam's big brother, "Well, I was hoping to see how Sam was, but I guess I can already figure it out," she said with a sigh, "I just don't understand it… neither can anyone else, Dean. I mean, yeah… he'll be the youngest one there… but that's what's so awesome about it, you know?"

Puzzled, Dean wasn't exactly sure what to think about anything at the moment and motioned for her to continue. This was something else he loved about the kid… she wasn't scared to talk to him like anyone else, to her he was Sammy's big brother… not someone to crush over, which meant he could get information from her when no one else would tell him.

"He was called into Mrs. Taylor's office, you know… the Guidance Councilor… and she told him he'd been accepted into the summer program at SDSU. You know… he'll get to take the same entry level courses as the entering Freshmen and be part of the mentoring program that guides you through the process of which career to go into. It's a really big deal, but he's acting like it's a death sentence! I don't understand it… I'd give anything to be able to go, and I'm just a Freshman… he's a Junior and should already be deciding which college he's going to."

Dean watched fascinated as he was pretty sure the girl in front of him had just told him all of that without once taking a breath… he was impressed. Nodding, he motioned for her to join him in the house, he had a feeling they were going to need reinforcements on this one.

Sam ventured across the yard, barely noticing the truck that hadn't been there before. He knew he had Mindy concerned, but how could he explain why he wasn't excited when she had no clue what was really out there… waiting. Sighing, he walked in the house and up the stairs to his room, taking care to put his skateboard and equipment up properly before looking around and taking stock of everything he had. When it was just him and Dean, they often stayed in the same room… sometimes having to share the same bed. Now though, they had their own rooms and were able to have posters, pictures and little mementos without having to worry about if they'd have to be left behind one day. Not to mention being able to make plans with friends without having to worry about breaking them because of some hunt causing them to have to move suddenly. Although they still trained in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings, it was nothing like when they were with their dad; here they stayed in shape mainly as backup for Bobby if he might need it and protection for themselves. So much had changed in such a short amount of time, it was often more than a little disconcerting.

The day they left Memphis, they'd flown straight to South Dakota and immediately walked into a judge's chambers and he watched as Bobby slapped the stack of papers he'd been carrying around for two years on the judge's desk and silently demanded the man finish the process. He could laugh about it now, but then he'd been horrified that something was going to go horribly wrong and that he and his brother would be separated. It had taken less than half an hour for the judge to review the documents, ask his questions to each of them and then proceed to announce the adoption final. However it had taken Dean and Bobby almost a week to finally convince him that they were really home, that no one was going to take him away. That had been six months ago and he still wondered at times if he was dreaming.

With his fifteenth birthday just a week away he'd thought his biggest worry was how to keep Dean from getting in the birthday swats he'd always threatened… not how to gracefully bow out of something every other kid in school was drooling over. It was times like this that he wished he'd stayed in the home school program; there he could stay anonymous with no pressure of everyone's expectations. He hadn't told Dean or Bobby that it was now a weekly occurrence to be called into the counselor's office to talk about next year's AP classes, college entrance exams, scholarship award applications, and a ton of other things that he really wished they'd leave him alone about. As it was, he was already scheduled to graduate the following year, making him even more of an outcast than he was already. Now this.

Groaning, he fell back onto his bed, stared up at the ceiling and wondered what he should do.

"I didn't mean to make you worry," Mindy said as she helped Bobby chop some vegetables for dinner, "it's just that… Sam's a great guy and so smart. Why does he want to hide that?"

Smiling, Dean and Bobby shared a look before Dean shrugged his shoulders and finally answered, "Well honestly, I think me and our dad have to take the blame for that. You see, we didn't really get how special Sammy was in that way, you know? So when he kept talking about how he was doing in school, we were proud, yeah… but didn't appreciate it so much." Seeing her puzzled look he shrugged again. "Hey, it's not like we didn't know he was smart… just figured that one day he'd be knee deep in the family business full time, you know? Now though I get it… I just hope it's not too late for him to get it too."

Bobby nodded in agreement and placed the items in the stew before excusing himself to make a phone call.

Hearing Sammy trudge down the stairs, Dean smiled and nodded towards the stairs, giving Mindy full permission to do her thing.

Rushing towards the door, Mindy practically ran into Sam, causing him to halt midway between the living room and kitchen.

"Mindy, when'd you get here?" Sam asked, completely confused at how he hadn't know she was there.

Rolling her eyes, he looked up at Sam, "I've been here for awhile. You were doing your Tony Hawk's thing again, so I thought I'd visit with Dean and Bobby for awhile."

"Oh…uh… are you staying for dinner?" he asked, really hoping she would. Ever since they met he liked being around her… liked how she made him feel, like he could do anything.

Smiling, she shook her head. "Sorry, not today. Mom's making pot roast which means someone's going have to call the fire department. I can come by later though, ok?"

Nodding, Sam smiled and watched as she rushed out the door.

"You know, you really need to make an honest woman out of her," Dean joked, knowing that the kids adored each other and it was only an amount of time before they became an official couple.

"Dean… you can be so… so…"

"Right? Yeah, I know," Dean smirked as he pulled his brother to the table. "Ok kiddo, mind telling me why we get a notice of your acceptance into the state universities mentorship program in the mail without us even knowing you were up for it?"

Stunned, Sam looked at his brother and had no clue what to say; he didn't even look at the mail today. "Uh…"

"Yeah, 'Uh' is right. Do you have any idea how many kids would kill to have this chance?" Dean asked, hoping to put on just enough pressure to get some answers, but not enough to incite Hurricane Sammy.

Sam sat and stared at not only is brother but Bobby who walked into the room looking like he wanted to know the same thing. "I… uh… I didn't want it to be a big deal. I mean, it's not like… I'm not going so what's the problem?" he stammered out, confused at why both of them were looking like he was some strange bug.

"Oh you're not are you? Mind telling me why not?" Dean asked, feeling Bobby stepping behind him to give his support. "You know you want this, why not go for it?"

"It's too far!" Sam blurted out the first thing that popped into his head.

"An hour away tops… not that far. Try again," Dean countered, waiting for his brother's next excuse.

"It costs too much!"

"Uh uh… the acceptance letter says all classes and activity fees are already included. You'll stay in a dorm and have a meal plan… not that much," Bobby stated as he watched Sam scramble for the next answer.

"I'll be the youngest one there, you know… the freak!" Sam exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.

"Not a freak… just smart. Sammy, you have to understand something… you've got to be who you are, no matter what anyone else thinks. And I'm sorry that I made you feel like you had to be something else." He nodded when he saw the uncertainty in his brother's eyes.

Sighing, Sam sat back down and whispered, "I don't want to leave. We're all doing so good here, and I have Mindy close by, and I know every safe place in the house and in the school and… and I don't think I'm ready to go."

Seeing the misery in Sam's face Bobby took a deep breath and wondered not for the first time how he was going to deal with such a book smart kid.

"Sam, just because you can go doesn't mean you have to," he began, ignoring Dean's shocked expression, "but you need to make sure of the reason you don't want to go. Is it really because you don't want this experience, or is it because you're scared? 'cause I gotta tell ya kid, this sounds pretty damn good to me."

Looking between the two men in his life, Sam sat and stared in wonder. "I don't know. I mean… yeah, it might be cool to take the college classes, but… I don't want to be by myself," he admitted, looking down at his feet, knowing that he probably disappointed everyone.

"Cool… now that that's settled, let's eat!" Dean exclaimed as he went to the cabinet for the bowls. Hearing his brother's confusion, he turned back, "Bobby's already got a line on an apartment there on campus… we'll take turns staying with you, no big deal."

Seeing the confirmation from Bobby, Sam continued to sit confused until the other men joined him and began talking about the plans for the summer seemingly excited at having a college boy in the family. Sitting back, he began to smile and thought, "I wonder what Mindy would think about dating a college student."


End file.
